


Ongerella

by 0KKULTiC



Category: Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - America, Alternate Universe - College/University, Ballet, Cheesy, Chick-Flick Moments, Cinderella Elements, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Male Cinderella, Ongniel, Romantic Comedy, basically a Disney Channel Original Movie made into a fic, but mostly - Freeform, it takes place in NYC, may give you a sugar high, mentions of Super Juniors, minor appearances of other P101 alumni, prepare for lots of corniness and sweetness, rated T due to light swearing and mentions of sexuality, sfw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-02
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2019-02-09 18:36:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12894276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0KKULTiC/pseuds/0KKULTiC
Summary: Broke and trying to make it in the city, Ong Seongwoo lives his life with the hope that one day he'll live his dream of dancing on stage. Even though he works his butt off, after one slip-up his boss bans him from attending the biggest event of the year: the Metro Ballet Masquerade Ball.With some good luck and great friends, Ong might find his happy ending after all. Of course, not without a few hangups on the way...(aka: An Ongnerella Story, premiering on the Disney Channel this Friday at 8/7C)





	1. Chapter 1

**Once upon a time...**

 

There lived a fair young boy who lived in a beautiful, enchanted forest. This young boy loved nothing more than to dance. His dancing brought joy to every creature small and large. From the field mice to the stags that roamed the forest, every being who witnessed his dancing felt his immense happiness and passion.

 

He loved dancing so much that he practiced very, very hard. With the support of his adoring parents and loved ones, he trained hard so he could one day dance for the King and all of his court.

 

His love for the art ignited passion in others, and soon they banded together to form a troupe. Their magical feet took them on many journeys to faraway places. They danced for the merpeople of the eastern coast, and the desert foxes in the southwest. When the time came, the boy decided he ought to continue his journey alone.

 

The boy’s loving parents always lived modestly, but they had saved up some coin for just such an occasion. With some meager rations and a few coins, he bid his beloved parents farewell, turning the page to a new chapter in his life.

 

Finally he headed to the place he had dreamed of dancing in, the Mystical Kingdom. There he went forth bravely to face new trials in a strange land.

 

He found himself trapped in the clutches of a wicked witch who tricked him into thinking she would help him on his quest. Even in her servitude, the dancer remained hopeful, making friends along the way.

 

Though it was sometimes difficult, he never lost sight of his dream. As he continued his quest, he soon fell into the rhythm of life in the Kingdom.

 

It started every morning, when the beautiful songs of the birds woke him up….

 

* * *

 

_Sorry, Sorry, Sorry, Sorry_

_naega naega naega meonjeo_

_nege nege nege bbajyeo_

_bbajyeo bbajyeo beoryeo bab-_

 

Ong Seongwoo woke up with a start. He clumsily pawed at the device blasting Super Junior’s Sorry Sorry, blindly pressing on the screen until it finally stopped. He groaned, wringing his hands down his face in the hopes that he’d magically wipe the sleep from his body.

 

 _Thank god it’s Friday,_ he thought to himself. After about ten minutes of scrolling through his twitter feed and contemplating his life decisions, Ong was finally ready to physically get out of bed and start his day.

 

_Why can’t my classes be offered later than eight in the morning?_

 

Like any other morning, he rolled out of bed and stumbled toward the bathroom. Thankfully his bathroom door was just a few steps from his bed. What others called “tiny” and “a shoebox” in terms of his apartment, he called convenient. _Cleanser, astringent, toner, serum…_ Sometimes Seongwoo wondered how he managed to go through his skincare routine first thing in the morning. He chalked it up to muscle memory at this point. After taking care of his skin and brushing his teeth, he stepped back out into his small studio.

 

He he reached into his compact closet pulling out the first few items that didn’t offensively mismatch. Black sweats, a tee, and his favorite pink sweatshirt. The last part of his routine was  piling on the necessary amount of layers to brave the Brooklyn winter. He measured how cold it was not by temperature, but by jackets. Judging by the cool air coming through the edges of his window, it’d be a two jacket kind of day. Ong gave himself one last glance in the mirror, letting out a small sigh of disappointment. _Well, that’s as good as it’s gonna get today._

 

Bookbag slung over his shoulder and headphones atop his head, Seongwoo left to live another day in his glamorous life.

 

* * *

 

Ong exited the subway in a zombie-esque state. He lumbered up the steps, yawning.

 

Need. Coffee. Were the only two words that he managed to make materialize in his head. If he went to take a nap, he would surely have ruined his cycle. Luckily his body’s autopilot routed him in the direction of his place, the coffee shop, and, well, everything. Even though he didn’t have a ton of money, he  managed to live in a part of town he liked. There were coffee shops, bakeries, and more ethnic restaurants that you could try in a lifetime. Muffled noise coming out of one storefront called the student’s attention.

 

He glanced over to see the old record shop he always passed. He’d stepped in a few times and was always impressed by their eccentric collection. Mini albums that came out a week ago were stocked by vinyl that was old enough to get retirement benefits. Pleasantly surprising, one of Ong’s favorite bands was featured on the TV in the window. Tired as he was, Ong was _never_ too tired to dance to Super Junior, and he made a point to mark every step to their new album track.

 

 _I should learn this some time_ , He mused, still half asleep.

 

“Hm. I liked BTS’s comeback better,” A voice suddenly popped up next to Seongwoo, making him jump. He furrowed his brow, looking to the person who spoke next to him. He stood a few centimeters taller than Ong, wearing joggers and a hoodie. A mask covered his face, and Seongwoo figured he was just sick.

 

“Wh- I mean. Sure if you like that pseudo bad boy image, but Super Junior is classic. They’re timeless.”

 

“How many members are even left? And after all that scandal-”

 

“Aren’t you a bit _old_ to be an ARMY?”

 

“I’m surprised you know what an ARMY is since your taste is stuck in 2011.” The stranger chuckled, his nose and eyes crinkling. It was immensely infuriating to Ong and somewhat endearing (which made it more infuriating).

 

Seongwoo smirked, feeling a bit cheeky, “Is this how you’re trying to pick me up?”

 

The masked stranger laughed again, “If I was trying to do that, I’d put on a suit and do a dance since you seem to be into that.” Ong prepared another quip, but before he could respond, a loud tone rang out from the stranger’s pocket. The man grabbed the device, checking the screen. He turned to Seongwoo, “Maybe we’ll meet again, E.L.F.”

 

“I doubt it,” Seongwoo muttered to himself as he watched the stranger walk away. _Nice. I find a charming guy and I can’t even see his face. Then he’s gone forever,_ He pouted. He figured this would just remain as one of those encounters where he fantasized about a stranger. He would briefly picture their future together full of banter and romance to sate his loneliness.

 

 _Buzz! Buzz!_ Seongwoo’s own phone called his attention, putting a raincheck on his fantasies. He pulled it out of his pocket and glanced at the screen.

 

Minhyun: coffee?

Minhyun: also jae says hi.

 

 _Don’t mind if I do_ , Seongwoo thought. Typing out a quick reply, he started making his way to the bagel shop a few blocks away.

 

* * *

 

Soft acoustic music thrummed through the speakers of the old corner cafe. Even though the place felt more like someone’s large closet than a coffee shop, Ong and his friends had frequented it for as long as they could remember. The coffee was cheap, the bagels were fresh, and they always kept a spot open for Jaehwan on open mic night.

 

“Hey!” A voice called from a small booth in the corner. Seongwoo’s head darted in the direction of the voice, and he saw Hwan Minhyun and Kim Jaehwan cozied up next to each other. Ong waved to them before ordering with the barista. The trio typically made it in at least twice a week to drink way too much caffeine and gossip.

 

A few minutes later he joined the couple with a latte in hand,“What’s up, guys?” He said, mentally willing his beverage to cool down to a drinkable temperature.

 

“I’m on lunch and Jaehwan is, well, Jaehwan.”

 

“Hi, that’s me,” The other said sarcastically.

 

“Oh? Nice to meet you,” Ong shook his hand jokingly. Jaehwan happily played into it. Those two alone were like a variety show, and Minhyun served as the charming MC.

 

“Okay, well, Minhyun has too much tact but the real reason you’re here is because he’s super into that ball thing you got a ticket for.” Jaehwan said flatly, blowing on his drink.

 

“Ugh. I am _not…_ Only talking to Ong because he’s going to one of the year’s biggest events without us. Though since Jaehwan brought it up, you are going to one of the year’s biggest events”

 

Ong nodded,“You know, I didn’t think your daily texts and semi-weekly tweets for the past few months got through to me, but now?”

 

“It’s like two steps below the Grammys!” Minhyun blurted out. “Do you know how much fashion is gonna be there?! And the event design…”

 

“Careful there Mr. Assistant Interior Designer, don’t drool on the table.” Ong replied.

“How are you _not_?”

 

“Not drooling on the table? Pretty easily-”

 

“You know what I mean. I don’t get it, Ong. You’re fun and bubbly and you love making people smile. I bet you’d be great at one of those parties, everyone would be wrapped around your finger in no time. Almost as quickly as the would be around mine.” Minhyun grinned.

 

“I… I dunno. I dunno guys like me? At one of those things? What would I talk about with people who make more sitting on their ass than I do in a month? I just want to dance and eat good food. That’s what I’m excited for.” Ong shuddered thinking about being plunged into the middle of fancy high society types.

 

Jaehwan chuckled,“I’m sure they’re fine people. They’ve got swimming pools full of money, right?”

 

Minhyun rolled his eyes, asking,“Do you know what you’re wearing yet?”.

 

Ong laughed, “I… Not yet, but I’ll figure it out.”

 

“You’ll figure it out? It’s toni- Ong, oh my god.”

 

Jaehwan looked at his phone with a shocked expression and shoved it in Ong’s face, “Wait this is a Kang event?!”

 

Seongwoo looked at him with wide eyed confusion, shrugging, “I… It’s a what?” He gingerly pushed the phone away from his face.

 

“The Kang family.” Jaehwan said.

 

“Should I… Know what you’re talking about?” Seongwoo asked. Minhyun joined Jaehwan in looking thoroughly disappointed with their friend.

 

Minhyun sighed, “Ong how do you involve yourself with the performing arts and not know them. They sign checks for so many arts programs, they have a theater named after them.”

 

“They do?”

 

“The Kang theater.”

 

“Oh _that_ Kang theater? That’s them?”

 

“Yes, Ong. Oh my _god_ do they not have wifi in the closet you rent?”

 

Seongwoo corrected him, “Actually I steal my neighbor’s- Ow!” Minhyun cut him off with a kick under the table.

 

“Focus! This is a big opportunity for you! The connections you make here could really get your foot in the door.”

 

“Or mine!” Jaehwan added as a joke (well, mostly as a joke). He kept scrolling through his phone to glean as much info as he could on the event. “Oh my _god_.”

 

“What? What is it?” Minhyun asked, peeking over Jaehwan’s shoulder. “Oh my god.”

 

“Now what?” Seongwoo groaned, “Are you going to tell me the table linens are Yeezy?” He rolled his eyes. Jaehwan and Minhyun shook their heads. Jaehwan slid his phone across the table. Seongwoo cocked an eyebrow and looked at the screen.

 

“What is i- Thaaat… Who is that?” His brain seemed to momentarily shut down upon seeing the image. In the middle of the screen stood a man, probably around his age. He appeared to be at some red carpet event. The suit he wore outlined the contours of his fit body beautifully, and his grin was so big that even his eyes smiled.

 

“That’s the heir,” Minhyun replied. “Kang Daniel. It never occurred to me until just now, but you’re gonna be there. With _him_.” He beamed.

 

Seongwoo suppressed the internal spark of excitement that lit up in his chest. “What’s so great about him anyways? I mean he’s… Attractive, but, what’s so great about him? He’s rich?”

 

“You haven’t even met him and you’re already playing hard to get? Give Kang Daniel a chance.” Jaehwan laughed, waving the phone in his face.

 

“Who says I want to be… Get- Getted- _Gotten_. Why are we talking about my love life? How did this become about my love life?”

 

Minhyun raised his eyebrows, slinging an arm over Jaehwan’s shoulder, “Ong you know you’re our favorite third wheel, but…”

 

“I think Minhyun is starting to like you more than me,” Jaehwan said with a straight face. The taller one burst out laughing next to him. “Seriously, we just want you to be happy. You need friends who aren’t teenagers in pointe shoes.”

 

“And don’t even get me started on your boss,” Minhyun added.

 

“I’ll have you know I bonded with a stranger today!” Ong told them triumphantly.

 

“Oh? What was his name?”

 

“His name? Well, I didn’t get that far-”

 

“What did he look like?” Jaehwan asked, blowing on his mocha.

 

“I- Well, he had a mask, but he was tall and didn’t seem very old. He’s an ARMY. The more I say aloud the worse this sounds, so, I’m gonna stop talking now.”

 

“Good call,” Minhyun laughed.

 

_Buzz! Buzz!_

 

Seongwoo jumped, hands flailing about, frantically searching for his phone. Minhyun and Jaehwan simultaneously rolled their eyes.

 

“Is it the wicked witch of the west?” Jaehwan asked, taking a sip of his mocha. Ong glared at him, hands still searching his pockets for his phone.

 

“She is _not_ the wicked witch of the west,” Ong said, finally fishing his phone out of his back pocket.

 

Minhyun laughed, “Yeah, Jaehwan. How could you ever say that about the wicked witch of the east?” He and Jaehwan exchanged satisfied smiles.

 

Seongwoo groaned, rolling his eyes and answering the call, “Hello Ms. Ivanov, how are y-”

 

“Are you trying to kill me?” A flat voice on the other side of the line asked.

 

“I-I’m sorry?” Ong said, eyes widening. He could hear Minhyun and Jaehwan snicker across the booth.

 

“You said you’d relay the message to props that I needed their mockups by one o’clock this afternoon.”

 

“I… Yes- Yes I did-”

 

She cut him off, “I received the mockups on my desk at one thirteen. One _thirteen_. Do you think I have thirteen minutes to spare waiting for prop mockups? The ensuing stress sent me into such a whirl of anxiety I wasted nearly ten extra minutes contemplating all of my life choices up to that point.”

 

“I- Well, ma'am, if it’s any consolation I think you made very good ones.”

 

“ _Of course_ I made excellent choices! However, one I found questionable was that of bringing you on. Now if you aren’t in my office within the hour I may reconsider that decision.” The line went mute before Ong could even respond. For a moment he sat in silence, mouth agape. When he turned to face Minhyun and Jaehwan, they each gave him a knowing look.

 

“Guys I’m sorry, I have to-”

 

“You have to go?” Jaehwan finished the sentence with a slight pout.

 

Minhyun sighed, “Ong, you can’t keep subjecting yourself to this. She can’t just whisk you away whenever she wants! We’re worried about you.”

 

Ong rushed to cram his stuff into his bookbag, “Guys, really, I’m fine. She has one of the most influential dance companies in the city. If I tough it out with her, I can dance anywhere I want.”

 

“Because she lets you do so much dancing now?” Minhyun grumbled. He felt a sharp jab in the ribs from Jaehwan. He knew he crossed into sensitive territory.

 

Ong frowned, but didn’t fire back with any objections. “I gotta go,” was all he said. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he dashed out of the cafe.

 

“Minhyun! You can’t just say that stuff…” Jaehwan bit his lip, looking out the door.

  
“He can’t live his life like this, though. He needs to stop being such a people pleaser. He has to stand up to her.” Minhyun lamented.

 

“Yeah, well, that’s not for us to decide.” Jaehwan said. He shrugged, and Minhyun looked down at his latte as if it held the answers.

 

* * *

 

“The dance floor will go here, and of course there’ll be beautiful spotlights in addition to the chandeliers. Now, Mr. Kang, which of the accent lighting plans that we discussed did you prefer?

 

Mr. Kang?

 

Mr. Kang?”

 

“Hm?” Kang Daniel blinked and suddenly he remembered he was in the Metro Museum’s grand ballroom.

 

“Wake up, Daniel!” A nagging voice approached from behind him. Daniel turned around, met with the sight of his longtime friend Yoon Jisung.

 

Daniel smiled at Jisung sheepishly before turning to the Metro employee who had spoken before, “I’m sorry, please go on. I just- There’s so many preparations to make I get scatterbrained.” He looked back at Jisung, enthusiastically gesturing for him to join. Jisung beamed at him, skipping to his side.

 

“Please, continue. I’ll, uh, get back to you on the lighting.” Daniel said. The two followed the museum tour guide as she rattled off features of the ballroom. Behind her, Daniel sighed, whispering to Jisung, “Why am I the one planning this? I’m no good with this stuff.”

 

Jisung rolled his eyes. He wondered how many times he had given the “you’re an heir to a massive financial company and occasionally you have to do bougie heir-like things to earn your trust money” speech. He could recall at least two times that week.

 

“Daniel,” The older brother figure started, “Everybody in the family has their own part to play. This is your part. You plan events, promote the company, collect donations for whatever charitable cause you deem fit, and smile for the cameras.” He said all of this while gesturing dramatically, finishing with an animated grin. “In exchange, daddy keeps you in his trust fund.”

 

Daniel grumbled, “I could’ve gone to college.”

 

“And you _will_. Some day. God knows you’ve got the cash. It’s just that for now-”

 

“I know, I know. For now, this is my priority. My family needs me. Um, did I miss anything?” The younger one smirked.

 

“Yes. That they love you very much. Also I’m very, very handsome and talented.”

 

“Ah, how could I forget?” The two chuckled, making the tour guide turn around. They quickly tried pulling the straightest faces possible. Daniel was immensely glad he could convince his family to hire his best friend to be his assistant. He often thought he would go insane without Jisung’s mentorly antics.

 

After the conversation faded, Daniel decided to actually get some work done. He listened closely to the details of the museum’s ballroom: it’s capacity, features, and tech capabilities. Jisung snapped pictures on his phone and took notes. Gold colored corinthian pillars rose to meet an intricately painted vaulted ceiling. The massive three-tiered chandeliers hanging from the ceiling were reflected in the ornately tiled floor. It looked as if in the middle of the bustling city existed a place out of a fairytale castle.

 

“It’s beautiful.” Daniel mused aloud.

 

The tour guide turned around, looking incredibly pleased. “Isn’t it? I’ll let you look around some more. I have some other business to attend to, so please excuse me. Just call the number on the business card if you need anything else.” The woman said a few more polite goodbyes before leaving Daniel and Jisung to themselves in the massive, echoey ballroom.

 

Taking in the ornately crafted details of the room, Daniel smiled, “This’ll make a great setting for the Metro Ballet Ball.”

 

“Wh- You- You remembered?” Jisung looked shocked.

 

Daniel blinked confusedly, “What do you mean by that?”

 

“It’s just, well, you usually don’t ever remember what the actual benefit is. Or you mix them up. I didn’t have to remind you this time. I’m proud.”

 

Daniel snorted, giving Jisung an affectionate punch on the shoulder, “Hey! I’m not that bad. I just… I can never forget the Metro Ballet Ball. It funds theater and the arts. I’m into that stuff.” He shrugged.

 

Once upon a time, he had wide-eyed dreams of being a dancer or a singer. Though they were long gone, his fondness for music and dance always stayed with him. As a kid he typically resented being dragged to his family’s charity events, but the Ballet’s ball was an exception. Delicate ballerinas floated across the dance floor in beautiful, sparkling costumes. Their partners would lift them with confidence, empowering their delicate ballerinas to soar gracefully in the air. Together, the dancers and orchestra brought a story to life right before his eyes. Then followed food, drinks, and merriment. Guests rushed to the dance floor and danced the night away. Even though he found his role in the company quite dull, the ball always lit up his life. If only for a day.

 

“Well, I’ve got the pictures I need,” Jisung’s voice echoed in the empty space. “We have a meeting with the event merchandisers at three. Let’s discuss the final accent lighting plans over lunch, okay?” Daniel nodded in agreement. He peeked over his shoulder one last time to take in the gorgeous space. Nerves fluttered in his stomach.

  


* * *

 

“You’re late.” Ms. Ivanov said flatly from behind the front desk. Ong stood hunched over for a moment, standing in the door of suite 5B, aka Anna Ivanov Dance Studio.

 

Breathing heavily from his run up five flights of stairs, Ong replied, “I’m so sorry, Ms. Ivanov. This is my first time being late, and I promise you my l-”

 

“Go. Studio two. The advanced class is already stretching.” She cut him off. Ong quirked an eyebrow, still catching his breath. He murmured an “okay” and left Ms. Ivanov to her devices, quickly pacing to studio two.

 

When Seongwoo managed to land a job with the Anna Ivanov, he anticipated a much more glamorous lifestyle. He figured that being hired by one of the city’s most successful dance studios meant he would actually get to dance. On stage. Instead, he got rolled into part time teacher, maid, assistant, and occasionally dog walker.

 

He felt grateful that he didn’t have to clean up after a pomeranian at the moment, instead heading to the studio to teach the advanced class. Even though Ms. Ivanov called it a class, the practice had a more free-form style due to how small the elite group was. At the very least, the advanced class had older students, making them more manageable. Well, for the most part.

 

He had barely made it through the door before a choir of greetings assaulted his ears.

 

“Mr. Ong! Mr. Ong!” “Hi!” “You’re late!” “Teacher, thank god you’re here. I thought that witch Ivanov would have to teach us…”

 

Despite his exhaustion, Seongwoo transitioned into teacher mode. He dropped his bag at the corner of the studio and shed his jacket and beanie. Standing up straight, he clapped loudly, silencing the chattering in the room.

 

“Alright. It’s time for class to begin. Line up at the bar, everybody!” He told them, his voice echoing in the small studio space. “First position!” On command, the line of young men stood straight in sync, heels together and arms rounded. Ong began his walk down the line to evaluate.

 

“Jinyoung, eyes up, shoulders back. Have more confidence! Guanlin, legs straight, and while I _love_ your smile you face needs to be restful. Woojin your face is too intense. Samuel, back straight. Daehwi…” Ong glanced the last student in line up and down, “As you are. Guys, this is the most basic ballet possible. Children nail this. Please, try harder.” He said. “Second position!” The instructor went on calling out positions. Third position, fourth, fifth, plie, tendu, rise…

 

The class continued smoothly, and soon Seongwoo forgot the day’s worries. He fell into a rhythm of teaching as he watched his students dance to the rhythm of The Nutcracker’s Waltz of Flowers. Sometimes he envied them. They were young, free, and following their dreams. Even though he couldn’t be on stage, Seongwoo was happy he could at least help get them there.

 

Class seemed to end suddenly. At one moment Seongwoo had just walked in, the next it was already over. He always managed to forget how quickly time passed when he taught.  


“Well, you’re free for now,” Seongwoo told his students as his alarm went off. Jovial chatter rose among the students in the room.

 

“Teacher! Are you going to the ball tonight?” Samuel, his youngest student, asked eagerly.

 

“Teacher’s going to the ball? You’re so lucky!” Daehwi cooed, skipping to Samuel’s side. The two chattered on as the other students fiddled with the speaker toward the back of the room. Daehwi’s mumbling about his idols that were attending got cut off by loud music erupting out of the speaker.

 

“ _Do,_

_Doo, doo, doo_

_Doo, doo, doo…_ ”

 

A very familiar and entirely too catchy beat echoed in the studio.

 

Ong pulled a dissatisfied looking face, trying his best to be stern, “Guys, you know Ms. Ivanov doesn’t like other music being played.”

 

“Class is over, can’t we have a little bit of fun?” Jinyoung asked. Woojin had already taken the liberty of having fun, popping to the funk beat.

 

“ _This hit, that ice cold_

_Michelle Pfieffer, that white gold_

_This one for them hood girls…_ ”

 

 _Oh crap I love this song_ , Ong thought. “You can have fun somewhere else. If Ms. Ivanov hears this she’ll make you do planks for a full class duration.” The teacher replied weakly.

 

“It’s cold outside, our muscles will contract and we’ll get injured. Do you want us to get injured?” Daehwi said, pouting as Jinyoung, Guanlin, and Samuel joined Woojin in the background.

 

“Maybe he can’t dance to hip hop,” Woojin said breathily, popping and locking with the beat.

 

“Excuse me?” Ong said, a small grin crossing his face. “I can dance more than ballet.”

 

“Sure you can,” Samuel sassed as he made up moves on the spot.

 

Ong shook his head, “You kids these days… No respect.” He grinned, “Alright pick a song, any song and I will dance to it!”

 

“Oooooooohh!” The students cheered as Jinyoung and Guanlin scrolled through a phone to choose something that would catch him off guard. Seongwoo waited eagerly, ready to pounce on whatever beat hit his ear. It’d been awhile since he had gotten to freestyle, and even though it was just with his students, he couldn’t wait to go.

 

The sound of a record scratching and a low bassline filled his ears and Ong stopped thinking, letting the rhythm tell his body where to go.

 

“ _Oh my, oh my, oh my god,_

_This girl straight and this girl not_

_Tipsy off that peach Ciroc_

_Like la la la…_ ”

 

At first Seongwoo felt embarrassingly rusty. It’d been longer than he wanted to think since he got to freestyle, but as the rhythm went on he familiarized himself with the song. Soon he found himself hitting a stride, feet meeting the beat instead of lagging behind it. He could feel the climactic chorus was coming on soon.

 

“ _...Passing through the door,_ _Baby, I'mma tell you some' only 'cause I love ya_

 _People all around the world sexy motherfuckers…_ ”

The students held one another, watching their teacher excitedly from a safe distance. They watched his every move with glee.

“ _...Get ugly_

_Yeah, get ugly, baby_

_Get ugly_

_You're too sexy to me_

_Sexy to me_

_You're too sexy to me_

_Sexy to me_

_So sexy_

_Damn, that's ugly..._ ”

 

“Oooooooh!!” His students hooted and hollered in reaction to their teacher’s secret cool side. The only thought or feeling Ong could truly register was pure joy. It’s been way too long, he thought, unable to suppress the massive grin on his face. For a few moments, nothing else existed in the world to him.

 

That’s probably why it took him so long to realize that his boss loomed in the doorway, looking extremely angry.

 

After finally seeing his students exaggeratedly point to the door behind him, he turned around. Everything went quiet. Jinyoung scrambled to grab his phone, and suddenly the students seemed perfectly content to have their fun elsewhere, filing out past the irate studio owner. It took mere minutes for the young ones to completely vacate the space, leaving Seongwoo and Anna alone in the eerily quiet studio.

 

“Are you not even going to apologize?” Ms. Ivanov finally broke the silence, sounding immensely peeved.

 

Ong’s throat dried up. He searched for words to say, “I- It was- It was just some fun after practice. It keeps them loose-”

 

“That doesn’t sound like an apology!” She snapped, “I didn’t ask for excuses, Seongwoo. I ask very little of you.”

 

 _That’s. Not true._  He thought to himself. He hoped the downcast expression on his face could at least be perceived as apologetic.

 

“I gave you an opportunity despite your severe lack of qualifications, I mentor you, and what do you do? You- You defiled my studio with that rubbish!”

 

 _That song is objectively bad. She’s not wrong there._ He kept his eyes firmly on the ground.

 

“No.” She said resignedly, as if she had come to some epiphany. “ _No_. I will not take this- not from my own assistant. I don’t need this.”

 

_You? You don’t need this?_

 

“Seongwoo, this hurts me more than it hurts you, but-”

 

Oh my god, people only say that when they’re about to do something that exclusively hurts you. A lot.

 

“-I can’t let this go without consequences. You are barred from attending the Metro Ball tonight. As punishment you are going to clean every studio in here from top to bottom. I mean spotless!”

 

Seongwoo opened his mouth to say something, but words didn’t come out. He wanted to cry.

 

“You’ve forced my hand.” She said, “Oh, and don’t even _think_ of wiggling out of this. I’ll be right back here half past twelve to personally inspect your work. If I don’t see you on your knees scrubbing _something_ …” She turned her nose up at him, “Well, you can say goodbye to that fantasy you have of dancing in this town, can’t you?”

 

“B-Bu- I’m sor-”

 

“Save it.” Anna held a hand up, silencing Ong before he could get a full thought out. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a ball to get ready for.” The studio’s owner didn’t dawdle, her heels clacking on the hardwood floors as she marched out of the place triumphantly.

 

Seongwoo stood statue still for an indiscernible amount of time. He sniffled.

 

_Well._

 

_I didn’t want to go that bad anyway._

 

He played those words on repeat in his head, hoping they would lend him some comfort.

 

“ _Buzz_ ! _Buzz_!” The loud vibration of his phone roused his thoughts. He dragged his feet as he walked over to grab it, wiping his eyes before looking at the screen.

 

Minhyun: when r u coming over to get rdy?

 

Ong groaned, unlocking his phone so he could type a response. Unable to muster the heart to type a message, he tapped the camera icon by Minhyun’s contact info. The shrill dial tone of FaceTime filled the empty studio until Minhyun finally answered.

 

“Hey,” Minhyun’s heavenly face filled his screen. He appeared to still be at work judging by the chic office furniture behind him.

 

“Sorry, sorry,” Ong said, “I forgot you’re still at work. It, um, it can wait-”

 

“I’m just doing some clerical work right now.” Minhyun frowned, “What’s the matter? You look upset. Did the witch put a curse on you?”

 

Ong laughed weakly, “Yeah, you could say something like that.”

 

“Well don’t worry. We’ll eat some junk food and get you beautiful for the ball tonight and you can forget about all of that.”

 

Tears threatened to fall from Ong’s eyes, “That’s, um, that’s the thing.” He swallowed hard, “There is no ball.” He tied his hardest to blink the tears away.

 

“What? What are you talking about?”

 

“The, um, I- I got in trouble at work, and- And- she’s not gonna let me go. If she sees me there I’ll be done for.”

 

Minhyun sat silently for a moment, probably carefully choosing his words, “Is this job really worth it, Ong?” He sounded concerned. “Is it really worth the sacrifices you are making?”

 

“How can you ask that?!” Ong said, exasperated, “Is a ball worth my job? Of course not, that’s ridiculous-”

 

“What’s ridiculous,” His friend cut him off, “Is that your boss is a temperamental ticking time bomb who is impossible to please. You could be the Pope and she would find some fault in you. The way she suddenly pulls you out of your daily life and expects everything from you… Then she treats you like crap?! It’s abusive, Ong. You don’t have to put up with this.”

 

“That’s easy for you to say. I don’t have the luxury of- of-”

 

“Of having a healthy work life balance? You don’t deserve this. You know you don’t deserve this.”

 

Ong scowled. He called for comfort, not a lecture. “Are you good? Have you said what you had to say?”

 

Minhyun frowned, “I’m sorry, Ong. I just hate to see this happen to you. You know I love you like a brother.”

 

“I know, I know… Just… Ugh. I thought for once I would get to, I dunno…”

 

“Have fun? God, _crazy_ , right?”

 

That elicited a weak chuckle from the moping dancer. “I mean- You guys are fun.”

 

“Yeah but we don’t give you free food,” Minhyun joked.

 

“Not that you know of.”

 

“Is that where my kimchi went last week?!”

 

Ong wiped his eyes again, feeling a tiny bit lighter, “Oh well. I gotta start cleaning. She asked me to clean every studio top to bottom.”

 

“She’s going, though, isn’t she? What’s stopping you?”

 

“Oh, don’t worry, she’s got that covered. Gonna head straight here after she leaves at like twelve or something…”

 

Minhyun’s face lit up. He looked like he was deep in thought for a minute until he spoke again, “So, what you’re telling me is that your boss is going to be out for hours, and all she needs to see is… You, working hard, in a clean studio?”

 

“That’s a weird way to put it, but, yeah. ‘Spotless’ was her word-”

 

His friend smiled craftily, “All you said is that she’d kill you if she _saw_ you.”

 

“I was there when it happened, yes.”

 

Minhyun rolled his eyes, “Ugh, you’re not listening.”

 

“You’re not making a point!”

 

“Oh my god, you are taking out the fun element of surprise!”

 

“Minhyun, I am sad. And tired. Please-”

 

“Fine! Party pooper. She said she’d kill you if she saw you, so all you have to do is not be seen.”

 

“Should I expect the magical little mice to come out of the rafters and clean this place for me, then?”

 

“Hey!” Minhyun said, “That’s no way to talk about Jaehwan and me!”

 

Ong sat up straight, blinking confusedly, “What are you saying?”

 

“I’m saying that we are getting you to that ball! Jaehwan and I can clean up the place while you’re gone. You just have to be back by, like, twelve.”

 

“What? I can’t let you do that. There’s no way-”

 

“If you deny me a night of relaxing cleaning so you can mope around a dance studio _I_ will kill you. And I’ll make good on that promise.”

 

“I- No, no, Minhyun-”

 

“Since you’re so good at taking orders from her, why don’t you take one from me now. Go to the ball. Have fun. Let me try out that new Roomba I got in your work-”

 

Ong laughed, the tears stinging his eyes now happy ones. “Are you sure? I mean, you really don’t-”

 

“I’m hanging up now. I’ll see you at my place when I get off work so you can give me the key and we can get you something to wear.”

 

“Bu-”

 

“Bye!” And with that, Minhyun hung up. Ong sat on the floor for awhile, processing everything that had just happened. He didn’t think he deserved one bit of the graciousness his friends gave him, but god was he grateful for it.


	2. Chapter 2

Even though it was barely four, the sun already began dipping beneath the horizon. Seongwoo walked up the stairwell to Minhyun’s apartment,  a myriad of jitters and anxieties buzzing inside of him. He’d had half a mind to refuse a few times, but decided that, for once, he would do something for himself. Just the thought of it felt so alien and uncomfortable. He knocked on Minhyun’s door, unsurprised when his boyfriend was the one to answer.

 

“Come here!” Jaehwan said the second he saw Ong at the door. The dancer hardly took two steps before getting assaulted Jaehwan’s affection.

 

“So, how are you feeling?” Minhyun asked with a grin.

 

“I’m fine, really. I would’ve been fine otherwise, too. Just saying, you still can back out if-”

 

“Shut up.” Minhyun said. He waved the fussy duo out the door, “Okay we don’t have time to hang out here, Ong needs an outfit.” The other two followed Minhyun like ducklings as he led them out of the building. “Now, I was looking into places that at least kind of fit your budget, and I think I came across somewhere you could find something.”

 

“You mean the ‘none’ budget?” Ong joked.

 

“Oh, trust me, we’ll find something.” Minhyun said confidently. Five blocks and one argument about the merits of toppings on mac ‘n cheese later they found themselves in front of a cluttered looking vintage shop. A small bell rang as they stepped in, and soon the three were in exploration mode.

 

Though compact, the store managed to jam probably three stores’ worth of merchandise in the tight space. Vintage clothes were jammed on the racks while above shoes from every decade spanned the shelves. The glass case along the other side of the shop must have had thousands of small accessories and trinkets. 

 

“Hello!” A woman greeted them from behind the lit counter, “Let me know if I can help you with anything!”

 

Jaehwan, Ong, and Minhyun quickly got to searching, pulling everything tux-like that looked like it could maybe be his size. Dragging their arms full of clothes toward the back, Jaehwan and Minhyun got an employee to let Ong into a fitting room. They kept Seongwoo stationed there, bringing him as many things as the employee would let them.

 

“Okay, how’s this round?” Minhyun called over the fitting room door after the third batch of clothes was a no-go.

 

“Hm…” Seongwoo stepped out in a pinstriped suit. The jacket hung a bit loosely, but the look had an interesting charm. He scrunched his nose, looking in a nearby mirror, “Not quite.” This cycle repeated itself nearly half a dozen times. Ong would get brought clothes. He would step out in whatever tux they’d given him be it green, floral, black, or bright pink. After careful inspection, he shook his head, deciding ultimately that none of the items they’d brought him worked.

 

“Seongwoo, since when are you this picky?” Jaehwan whined, “I didn’t think I was gonna do cardio today.”

 

“I just want to be comfortable, that’s all!” He hollered from inside the fitting room. A shirt flew over the door, hitting Jaehwan in the face. Jaehwan turned to Minhyun as he approached with another armful of jackets, “Minhyun, do something before I kill him.” He whined.

 

After watching them go at it for nearly an hour, the woman who had greeted them asked again, “Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to help you?” 

 

Minhyun sighed, “Unless you can make this man less picky, I don’t know. He didn’t even want to go to the ball that badly, but now suddenly he’s stressing so much over what he’s gonna wear. This is what you get for shopping the day of!” He hollered over to the fitting room.

 

“The ball?” The employee asked, “Like, the Metro Ballet Ball?”

 

“Yes, that’s the one.” Minhyun said.

 

She scratched her chin, seemingly in deep thought. “Wait right here,” She said, disappearing into the back room. Shortly after the woman returned, a zipped garment bag in her arms. 

 

“Try this.” She told him. “We just got it in, it hasn’t been properly priced yet. But… For the Metro Ball. I know it’s black tie, but this is so stunning- I think this’ll turn heads.”

 

Minhyun turned to glance at Jaehwan bickering with Ong over the fitting room door. He grinned impishly, “Turn heads? I think that’ll be  _ perfect  _ for him.” He thanked her and took the hanger, walking it over to the fitting room.

 

“I think this’ll be the last one,” He told Ong.

 

Cynically, he responded, “We’ll see.” Jaehwan and Minhyun sat down on the bench by the fitting room. They anxiously awaited the emergence of the butterfly changing in his cocoon.

 

When Seongwoo finally opened the door to his fitting room, both of his friends gasped. He stepped over to the mirror and looked at himself wordlessly. He didn’t scrunch his nose or dissect the structure of the tux.

 

The blood red velvet of the jacket made a stunning contrast with his fair complexion. The black lapels lended the suit a much needed traditional flair. By some miracle of tailoring, it seemed to fit him like a glove, cinching in perfectly at his small waist. Even more miraculous, the pants seemed to fit perfectly, too. In combination with the black vest and shirt he wore underneath it, he looked like some sort of an incubus looking to spirit away a wanting victim.

 

Jaehwan, Minhyun, and even the store employee held their breath, waiting for something, anything to come out of Seongwoo’s mouth.

 

“I think…” Ong said, driving the others to the edge of their seats, “I think this is the one.” A collective sigh of relief came over his spectators.

 

“Thank god,” Jaehwan said, putting all of his weight on Minhyun.

 

“I would have killed you if you didn’t take that one.” Minhyun remarked. The employee looked thrilled, happily keeping it on the counter for them once Ong returned it to the garment bag. The rest of their shopping trip went infinitely more quickly. Picking a pair of oxfords was a breeze, and Ong had never been big on accessories otherwise.

 

When they approached the lit up counter to pay, Ong held Jaehwan tightly in anticipation of hearing the cost of his beautiful purchase.

 

“Wait!” Minhyun said. He eyed the accessories in the case for a minute, then pointed to something insistently. The employee opened it up, carefully removing the object that Minhyun had pointed to. Ong and Jaehwan looked on, curious. “You need to be incognito, don’t you? I mean, it  _ is  _ a Masquerade.” A delicate gold filigree mask sat atop the counter. Black silk ribbons for tying dangled from the sides. Atop the lighted case, it looked like a gem, every little facet and sculpted whirl sparkling in the light. “We’ll take this, too.” Minhyun said without asking.

 

With the final piece of the puzzle in place, all three anxiously anticipated the inevitable reality of payment. Minhyun and Jaehwan were already calculating in their head how much they could help with the cost while Ong merely dreaded it. The employee seemed completely oblivious, humming as she packed the shoes and mask in separate boxes and put them in a bag.

 

Ong finally blurted out, “How much?” They all held on for dear life, anticipating a three digit number.

 

Finally, she spoke, “It’s yours.” She said.

 

Ong raised his eyebrows,“Yes, but for, uh, for how much.”

 

“Just take it. All of it,” She smiled, “That tuxedo is your tuxedo. I don’t know if any other person in the world will look as perfect in it as you do. Plus, you have a ball to go to! I wouldn’t sleep tonight knowing I sent someone away not looking their best!” The three nearly jumped for joy, everyone talking over one another to give blubbering thank you’s.

 

“Just one condition!” She said, raising a finger. The thank you’s immediately stopped. “Make sure you tell everyone where you got it, okay?” The trio nodded furiously, thanking her once more. Their thank you’s didn’t stop coming until the bell on the door rang once again, signaling their departure.

 

* * *

 

“Are you sure about this?” Seongwoo asked, looking at himself on his phone camera.

 

“Yes. Stop asking.” Minhyun replied. He and Jaehwan were packing some of Minhyun’s personal cleaning supplies into a backpack along with speakers and some wine (because what better time to drink than when cleaning a stranger’s dance studio).

 

Ong felt strange. He hadn’t worn makeup in years, and when he used to it was for the stage. At his friend’s insistence he got a kiss of eye makeup. Instead of jeans or joggers with a tee he wore a tailored suit. His hair didn’t fall flat and lifeless like it typically did, taking on some kind of side parted style Jaehwan gave him with hair wax. He felt like some dolled up, photoshopped version of his actual self, like anyone who saw him would be very misled.

 

“Stop fidgeting,” Minhyun said when he looked over at his friend. “Why are you fidgeting?”

 

“I don’t look like myself. I look like… Like an idol or something.”

 

“That’s what happens when you spend more than five minutes getting dressed,” Minhyun said.

 

“ _ You _ always look great,” Jaehwan interjected.

 

“I’m an outlier and should not be added,” Minhyun said with a small grin. Ong rolled his eyes, wondering how Minhyun seemed so genuinely flattered by something he’d heard a thousand times.

 

“In fact, you look the best when you spend five minutes getting un-”

 

“Can you two wait until I leave?” Ong groaned. Nervousness seemed to come to him in waves. First he would feel fine, relieved, overjoyed even, that he had plans to attend the ball. Then he would dip down into feeling insecure, terrified of being caught, and self-conscious about his looks. He was hitting another one of those valleys. “I don’t know about this…”

 

“I think I’ve heard this song before,” Jaehwan said with a chuckle. “What makes you say it this time? Last time it was that the suit was ‘too nice’, the time before it was something about your parents telling you to never talk about strangers…”

 

Seongwoo rolled his eyes, “It’s- It’s everything, okay? Everything. This isn’t me.”

 

“Minhyun call a priest! He’s been possessed!”

 

“Shut up!” Ong laughed, “I’m trying to be serious for, like, five seconds! Just everything isn’t me. The rich clothes, the- the makeup, sneaking around-”

 

“-Being rebellious, doing something you want for once, actually acknowledging the fact that you're a hottie…” Jaehwan took the liberty of finishing the thought. 

 

“I’m doing what I want by being in this city. And I’m not a- a-”

 

“You know what I mean! Also, you are handsome, so stop acting like you’re not. It stopped being cute, like, an hour ago.” The musician said, adjusting Ong’s suit and fussing over his hair one last time.

 

Minhyun called over to the two, “Alright, I’m done calling the Uber, Ong you need to go downstairs, it says he’ll be here in… Three minutes.”

 

“An Uber? I was just gonna take the subway.”

 

“To a ball? I don’t think so!” Minhyun told him, “You are gonna take an UberLux and you are gonna like it!”

 

“But  _ Mooooom _ .” Ong couldn’t help cracking the joke. He returned to his contemplative self, asking, “Are you guys sure? Like really, really, really-” Jaehwan ignored his friend’s words, pushing him roughly out the door of Minhyun’s apartment so they could get him going. 

 

The couple escorted their friend to the curb as he awaited the Tesla that would pick him up. City lights illuminated the streets as people milled about heading to their own Friday night destinations. Ong opened his mouth for one last protest, but closed it again, knowing it was futile. His stomach flipped and flopped nervously. 

 

All too soon, his car had arrived. Minhyun and Jaehwan shoved Seongwoo toward the sleek black Tesla that had pulled up. 

 

“Wait! One last thing,” Minhyun said. He handed Seongwoo the gold filigree mask they had picked out, “You can’t go to a masquerade without a mask.” Seongwoo took it gratefully, having forgotten the detail himself.”

 

“Alright, now go!” Minhyun waved to him, “Goodbye!”

 

“Have fun!” Jaehwan said, too. They two of them together looked like they were watching their kid get on the bus for their first day of school.

 

Seongwoo sighed, trying to quash his nerves to the best of his ability. He gave his friends one last beaming smile and waved to them as he climbed into the backseat. “Thank you.” He said back. Buckling up, he watched his two best friends shrink in the distance as the car rolled away.

 

_ Thank you.  _ He thought again.

 

_ Thank you so much. _

 

* * *

 

The trip to the museum was far too fast for Seongwoo’s liking. Before he knew it, he truly had to collect himself and prepare to exit the car. He could see the dark carpet ascending the museum steps, the flashing lights of cameras, and the well dressed people. The merriment grew closer and closer. Ong tied the filigree mask around his face, hoping it didn’t ruin his hair or makeup. His car entered a queue and he watched in anticipation as those in front of him each exited, stunningly dressed and donning their own ornate masks. When his turn came, the driver courteously put his vehicle in park, hopping out so he could open the door for Seongwoo. The dancer made a mental note to let Minhyun know the driver deserved a five star rating as he climbed out.

Finally there, Seongwoo knew there was no turning back. He could tell a few heads had already turned to look at him, but pretended to ignore them, keeping his eyes fixed on the large, grand entrance of the Metropolitan Museum. Thankfully, his lack of celebrity status meant nobody was snapping pictures and no reporters were interested in him, so he ascended the steps in relative peace.

 

_ This is fine. _ This is fine. He reassured himself.  _ You are totally fine right now.  _ Passing through the entrance, he handed an usher his invitation and followed the employee to the ballroom.

 

_ Perfect. You don’t even see that woman. Just keep this up and you can stuff your face with free, fancy food all night. _

 

Seongwoo stepped into another world entirely. His eyes widened as he soaked in the stunning scene. It looked as if flurries of snow had fallen inside the ballroom itself. Each round table in the space had a towering centerpiece of frosted branches with glass beads and string lights cascading off of them. Massive Christmas trees towered at the corners of the room, and sparkling light bounced off of the exquisite ornaments. At the back of the hall stood a stage with gleaming white tile. Giant nutcrackers stood on each end, and chairs were set up for a small orchestra. Spotlights in the shape of snowflakes danced across the room. Looking up, Ong saw more lights strung between the chandeliers. Though it’d been a long time since he’d seen a star in the night sky, he imagined it would look something like that. Tiny orbs of white dotted the ceiling above while the chandeliers looked like glistening supernovas. 

 

Everyone who stepped in appeared to glide, all dressed elegantly in clothes that would probably cost one month’s rent for Seongwoo. The scene felt like something out of a fairytale. A room full of beautifully dressed strangers donning masks, escaping into another realm for a night’s flight of fancy. He always pictured these gala type events to be incredibly stuffy, nothing like the transcendent experience he’d stepped into.

 

Suddenly, Ong thought he looked jarringly out of place. Everywhere he looked he saw black suits and gowns. When he saw the words “black tie event” he didn’t think they were literal. His burgundy tux made him feel like even more of a pariah, and he prayed other attendees weren’t judging him for it. Even though he wore a mask, he feared he would be exposed as some sort of not-rich imposter at any minute. Self conscious, he skittered over to the nearest, darkest corner he could find.

 

“Champagne?” A voice asked. Completely distracted, Ong nearly jumped at the sudden question. Thankfully, he recovered and nodded with a quick “thank you” to the man holding the tray of champagne flutes. He took two, muttering, “It’s for my friend,” and downed one the second the man was out of sight. Leaving the empty flute on a nearby table, Seongwoo finally felt ready to experience the ball. 

 

_ Buzz! Buzz! _

 

Ong honestly thought one day he would stop being surprised by his phone vibrating. That day had yet to come. He grabbed the phone of out of his pocket to see the message.

 

Minhyun: bitch!!! whats it like being among high society?

 

He typed his reply: rly out of place. so like do i hold my pinky out and call ppl “old chap” now?

 

Minhyun: idk i may look classy but that’s as far as it goes. k no more texting. U are nOT gonna be that guy in the corner of the party on his phone. not tonight. btw we demand snaps!!

 

_ Dammit _ , Ong thought. It figured that Minhyun had him pegged.  _ Time to figure out how to promote myself without actually telling anyone my name.  _ He didn’t dare tell anyone who he was, if Anna caught wind of him being at the ball, there’d be hell to pay.

 

Seongwoo weaved between beautifully ornamented tables and impeccably dressed people chattering away. When he found a table that seemed reasonable, he stationed himself. The table wasn’t too close to the dance floor, but he could still see it along with the stage well enough.

 

“I don’t think we’ve met before.” Someone said from behind him. A spike of panic jabbed Seongwoo in the chest, but he suppressed it, turning genially to the person sparking conversation. Even with the mask, the stranger was clearly handsome. He had blonde hair and pretty, almond shaped eyes. His lips looked beautiful and heart shaped, as if they were sculpted by angels.

 

“I don’t think we have,” Ong replied, taking a sip of his champagne.

 

“Park Jihoon,” The man said, extending his hand to shake. 

 

Seongwoo nearly choked, coughing to recover, “Sorry, uh, wrong pipe.”

 

“Oh my god, are you okay?”

 

“I’m fine.”  _ Park Jihoon. The Park Jihoon?! Dance prodigy? Broadway idol? _ Giving the boy another look, he confirmed it to be true. It was him. Seongwoo saw pictures of him in a few industry publications and on playbills for the production of Peter Pan that started it’s run not long ago. He never imagined he’d actually speak to someone so accomplished. 

 

“You seem nervous. Are you new in town?”   
  


_ I’ve lived here for almost five years. _ “Yes, I’m quite new to,” Ong gestured to the whole room, “All this.”

 

Jihoon flashed him a brilliant smile, “Well, let me be the first to welcome you! The Winter Masquerade Ball is quite the way to get introduced to the city’s scene. So, what’s your thing? Are you a dancer? No, a singer- You look like an actor. You have the face for it.”

 

_ You can’t even see my face _ , Ong thought. Despite that, he still felt his cheeks flushed. It wasn’t everyday strangers rained compliments down on you. “I fancy myself as a bit of an all arounder, but dancing is my true love.”

 

“Interesting.” Jihoon said. Whether it was embellishment or genuine interest, Jihoon actually seemed enthralled with what Ong had to say. “Also, that tux?”

 

_ Oh god, here it comes. _

 

“That’s so bold. I wish I was as brave as you, wearing a color like that. It looks amazing! Where’d you get it?”

 

_ It was buried in the thrift store. The owner pitied me so she gave it to me. _ “It’s vintage. A friend of mine spotted it at White Flower, that place on seventh, and snatched it up.” _ That’s something a high-class person would say, right? God, I love small talk. _

 

“Good friend. Are they new, too, or...?”

 

“I, no- Actually,” Ong grinned, “He’s an up and coming vocalist.” _ You’re welcome Jaehwan. _ “He’s in the same class as Jeong Sewoon.”  _ That’s not a lie! They are in the same class. One is just a signed recording artist and composer, and the other is… Jaehwan. _

 

“Wh- Sewoon? You know Sewoon? Wait, wait, who is it?”

 

“Oh you probably know him, Kim Jaehwan?”

 

“Hm. I can’t say I’ve heard of him…”

 

“What? Just ask Sewoon about him, I bet he’ll have stories. The guy’s a character. Genius musically, though.”  _ Please do not ask Sewoon about him. _

 

“I’ll remember that! Musicians are always characters, though, aren’t they?”

 

“This ball would be no fun if they weren’t.”

 

Jihoon chuckled, “Well put. I have some friends you should totally meet.”

 

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to impose, I’m just taking it all i-”

 

“I will not take no for an answer!” Jihoon smiled, “Come with me.” Seongwoo felt Jihoon grab him by the arm and found himself being amicably dragged to another nearby table. He prayed that the lord of fancy parties would bless him with impeccable and un-fact-checkable smalltalk.

 

* * *

 

“Are you hiding?”

 

“Wh- No, I’m not! That’s ridiculous.” Daniel turned to Jisung with a superficial smile. He thought for sure he’d shaken Jisung when he got caught up talking to Hyunbin, but apparently his tail was exceptionally vigilant.

 

“Oh? Is that why you’re standing behind the massive spotted plant?” Jisung crossed his arms, looking at Daniel with a quirked eyebrow. He stared Danield down expectantly until the heir sheepishly scurried out from behind the frosted white tree. “Daniel, I thought you loved this ball?”

 

Daniel sighed, “I do, I do, it’s just- It’s a lot harder when I’m in charge of this thing. Before I could just enjoy it, but now I have to talk to everyone, promote the company, be a ‘host’... It’s not like I can even talk about fun things either. Everything just goes back to the business or the weather…”

 

“Come on,” Jisung grabbed Daniel’s hand, dragging him out of the dim corner he’d hidden himself in. “It’s just a few more hours, okay? Staff will take care of the tear down, and then we can go back to the hotel, order fried chicken, and knock back some soju if you want.”

 

Finally, Daniel cracked a real smile, “That sounds amazing.”

 

“But, before we can do all that, you’re gonna have to nut up.”

 

“Nice pun.”

 

Jisung giggled, “Thank you, I try. Anyways it’s...” He glanced at his watch, “...almost half past ten. You’re gonna need to make your toast and do the first dance.”

 

Daniel groaned, “Oh no. I forgot about the dance. Can we just skip it?”

 

“Daniel, you love dancing.”

 

“I know, but… When I dance- by myself or with anyone- I don’t like… I want it to be meaningful. On a stage or even in a club with someone I want to hold close. Not some weird spectacle.”

 

Jisung pinched the bridge of his nose, “Daniel, please. It’s just a minute of swaying side to side. Pick some lucky stranger and make their night. Then you can have as much engaging conversation with this tree as you like.”

 

Daniel laughed again, “Okay, okay. I don’t know how I’m gonna pick someone, though.”

 

“Just point into the crowd at random. It doesn’t matter! The orchestra is almost done tuning, so why not mentally prepare a bit? You have your cards, don’t  you?”

 

“Yes, I have my cards,” The heir nodded. He followed Jisung toward the backstage area, stomach doing flips. He never thought of himself as a particularly nervous person. When he used to dance, even if it was on stage, he didn’t feel as much pressure because he represented himself first and foremost. Now, he carried the family name and future arts funding on his shoulders. If everything wasn’t perfect, or if the donations fell short of their expectations, it was his fault.

 

* * *

 

Seongwoo was proud of himself. In the past half hour he had managed to learn so many new things. He learned that Park Jihoon had a lot of friends in high places. He met Kang Dongho, known by his stage name Baekho, and learned that the man knew kumdo. When introduced to model Kwon Hyunbin, Hyunbin told him he secretly dreamed of being a rapper. Kim Sanggyun  _ was  _ a rapper and apparently working on some interesting collabs. He got to touch Noh Taehyun’s hand and even succeeded in not losing his mind upon touching one of his dance idols. Ong chatted with his new friends animatedly, a subtle buzz from the champagne sweetening his mood further.

 

Suddenly, the large lights in the space dimmed, leaving the spotlights to direct everyone’s attention to the stage and the dancefloor. “Good evening, everyone.” A voice over the speakers called everyone’s attention, silencing the room. The man speaking looked and sounded somewhat familiar to Ong. After a few seconds of thinking, he realized it was the host of a popular morning talk show, Leeteuk. 

 

“Hello,” Leeteuk said, his voice clear and genial, “And welcome to the 2017 Metro Ballet Masquerade Ball!” The crowd responded with polite applause.

 

Waiting for it to die down, Leeteuk continued, “First and foremost, we would like to thank you for coming to this spectacular event! We are so honored to have you all here tonight, supporting the performing arts. None of this could happen without you or the help of our sponsors. “Now, for the first time, Kang Daniel will give his regards on behalf of the Kang family, who graciously host this event every year.” The crowd clapped once more, many craning their heads in hopes to get a good view of the young man approaching the stage.

 

“Thank you, Leeteuk,” Kang Daniel said, giving him a smile. He turned to the crowd.

 

“The road of an artist is not always an easy one.” He started,”There is no doubt that every individual here has struggled on their journey to get where they are. That is why it is so sincerely moving that you are here with us. With your support, we can hope that today’s students and proteges may one day fill the seats that we sit in today.

 

Everyone deserves a chance at the fulfilling enrichment that being a part of theater, dance, or fine arts provides…”

 

Seongwoo payed more attention to the heir’s looks than his words. It was one things to see pictures, but seeing Kang Daniel in person was entirely different. He traced and retraced the young man’s features in his head. His broad shoulders, plush lips, and puppy dog eyes… Ong reluctantly admitted that he could see why people freaked out about him. He almost felt guilty for not listening to the words of the young man’s speech, after all, the heir had probably spent ages preparing. However, Seongwoo wasn’t quite the targeted audience. In the apparent “before and after” stages of success Daniel discussed, Ong still thought of himself as a “before”, unfortunately not quite in the place to inspire others.

 

Opportunities were great, but opportunity didn’t promise success.

 

Loud applause interrupted Seongwoo’s thinking, and he realized that Kang Daniel had finished his speech.

 

* * *

 

“Thank you so much, Mr. Kang. And now,” Leeteuk gestured to the dance floor, “In Metro Ball tradition, for his first time, Kang Daniel shall choose someone for the first dance.” The MC gave another gracious, dimpled smile, leading the crowd in polite applause.

 

Daniel swallowed nervously. After a final moment, he lifted his gaze and began scanning the room. His heart pounded in his chest. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, who he was looking for. It seemed sensible that he’d pick the hottest chick and call it a night, someone who would look good for the photographs. Or perhaps he’d choose the oldest person there, a symbolic deed of old and young banding together for a noble cause. The possibility of just plucking the closest person crossed his mind, getting it over with could alleviate some of the pain. 

 

All of these ideas brewed in his head, in his heart. He didn’t know who to dance with, or why it suddenly mattered so much, but he decided: he’d know when he saw it.

 

* * *

 

“He’s gonna pick his partner for the first dance now,” Jihoon whispered to Seongwoo.

 

“What?” Ong whispered back, “I wanna see! I’m gonna-” He gestured toward the stage, “I’m gonna try to get a better view.”

 

“Go for it,” Jihoon said.

 

The incognito dancer gave his table of new buddies a polite wave away and began weaving through bodies to get as close to the stage as humanly possible. Ong stumbled, murmuring an apology to the poor waiter he nearly toppled over. Seeing the hush fall over the crowd inspired awe. The sound of a mouse skittering about would probably sound thunderous in comparison to the quiet anticipation. Kang Daniel slowly promenaded down the dance floor. He effortlessly commanded the attention of everyone in the room. His eyes scanned the crowd, but Seongwoo thought he surely had someone picked already. He assumed the pageantry of choosing a partner just existed for extra drama. 

 

As captivating as Daniel was, Seongwoo couldn’t help but look around the room in wonder. Once again the surreal nature of his night truly dawned on him, and he thought himself immensely privileged to be standing there. The crowd still remained locked onto the heir pacing down the stage.  Everyone looked incredibly alluring dressed in their finest clothes. Their eyes twinkled with as much wonderment as the glowing lights above them. No matter where Ong looked, something seemed to catch the light, reflecting it, multiplying it tenfold, dazzling him.

 

_ To think, I can live a life like this. If only for one night… _

 

* * *

 

It felt like it had been forever. Daniel knew he had to choose someone. Anyone. At this point he feared the crowd hand grown impatient. His gaze darted from one side to the other, meeting pair after pair of eyes, all prying, inquiring, demanding. The knots in the heir’s stomach increased tenfold with the realization that everybody was watching him. Every single person looked on in expectation, every stare fixed on him.

 

Every stare, except one.

 

Something at the corner of Daniel’s eye abruptly broke the spell of anxiety that’d taken over him. The figure stuck out so very clearly, a splash of burgundy in a sea of black and white. He quirked an eyebrow, steps unconsciously bringing him closer to the person. He appeared to be a young man, probably not far off from the heir’s age. He donned a luxurious velvet burgundy tuxedo and a white filigree mask. Unlike every other person in the room, he wasn’t staring at Daniel.

 

_ What’s he looking at? _ Daniel wondered, his legs moving more deliberately toward other man. As he drew nearer, Daniel realized, the man in the gold mask wasn’t looking at him. He was looking at everything else. He seemed to be eagerly drinking in every detail of the ballroom. His eyes followed the dazzling lights in awe, and his lips tipped up ever so slightly in wonder.

 

The heir smiled. 

 

He had discovered what he was looking for. Muffled murmurs sounded out in the crowd as he closed in on the mysterious man in red. 

 

“Excuse me,” Daniel said quietly. At first, the stranger didn’t respond. The lights strung up above appeared to be more captivating than anything else in the immediate moment. Daniel chuckled, tapping the man on the shoulder and saying again, “Excuse me.” The man in the gold mask finally looked in front of him.

 

When their eyes met, Daniel’s heart ceased beating. He couldn’t breathe. His mouth dropped open, but he didn’t say anything.  Even though it only lasted a second, he felt like he spent an eternity trapped in the grip of the man’s onyx eyes. 

 

The heir blinked, turning his head away for a second to recollect himself. Heat stung his cheeks, but he ignored it. Finally, he spoke, “May I have this dance?”

 

* * *

 

“May I have this dance?” Kang Daniel asked, his voice sweet and soft.

 

_ I can’t believe I’m dead.  _ Ong thought.

 

_ I’m dead and this is either heaven or hell, I can’t tell. _

 

_ Probably heaven. _

 

_ Hell would make you pay for the champagne. _

 

The heir quirked an inquisitive eyebrow, reaching out his hand, and before he could think, Seongwoo took it. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach. He felt like he had thoughts, but couldn’t really process them. No matter how hard he tried, the words couldn’t surface in his mind, he only registered feelings and sensations.

 

Low whispers hummed across the room asking questions that all were some iteration of, “ _ Who  _ is _ that _ ?”

 

A steady hand guided him to the center of the dance floor, and he suddenly became aware that everyone was about to watch him dance. Him and Kang Daniel, the dreamy heir of the Kang Foundation. The orchestra began playing the opening notes to a familiar tune: The Waltz of Flowers. Daniel guided Seongwoo to the middle of the dance floor. 

 

As the first few measures played, Daniel asked, “Can you waltz?”

 

Seongwoo grinned brightly as the harpist strummed out the iconic transition, “I can do you one better than that. The question is, can  _ you  _ dance?” Despite his tone, Ong felt far from confident Regardless, he opted to ride his wave of adrenaline as far as it would take him. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d gotten an opportunity to show off in front of a genuine audience. As the harp solo drew to a close, Ong gave the heir a wink. He took a resting position with his back arched and arms out by his side. Quiet chatter erupted in the crowd once more, but it soon dissolved as the strings took up the melody once more.

 

Daniel didn’t miss a beat. He took Seongwoo’s hand as the brass section joined. The two circled one another, and Ong couldn’t help but wonder what thoughts ran through the other’s mind. He knew if Danial could read his, it’d be absolute cacophony. Joy, excitement, nerves, absolute terror… They all mingled, forming a torrid amalgamation of emotion.

 

Seongwoo decided he would let the host be the leader of the dance, following his lead as the two stepped and spun in time with the music. Daniel’s firm guidance surprised him, he didn’t expect some trust fund kid to be so adept at ballet of all things. The thought crossed his mind that he’d misjudged Kang Daniel. 

 

Though they were frequently in contact, every touch seemed to ignite a sensation more intense than the last. The ball in his chest swelled with every passing movement, every passing note. Even though the man was a stranger, Ong completely trusted the other when he took hold of his waist. Taking the cue, Ong leapt. For an instant he flew, gracefully turning. The spectators seemed delighted by the flourish and clapped politely.

 

_ Good to now I’m not too rusty _ , he thought. Frankly, part of him was terrified due to the risk of injury alone. Neither of them were dressed properly for ballet and he certainly hadn’t stretched prior. In spite of those facts, he ensured he at least covered the basics, tightening his glutes and flexing his core. 

 

He soon forgot about everything surrounding him. The only people at the Metro Masquerade were Ong Seongwoo and Kang Daniel.

 

Daniel took hold of his waist again and dipped him down again, prompting another improvised high kick from Seongwoo. Another lift soon followed, this one higher than before. He took the challenge in stride, sweeping his arms out beside him and dipping his head back. When he returned to the ground, another round of applause acknowledged the lift. 

 

When the noise of clapping finally permeated Seongwoo’s ears, reality began to materialize around him once more. Though he wasn’t aware of any distinct cues, it appeared that it was now everyone’s turn to join in on the night’s festivities. Couples flooded the stage arm in arm, quickly picking up on the beat. Gowns swished and shoes clicked as the attendees took up their own waltzes.

 

Strong arms pulled Seongwoo close, this time in a traditional waltz posture. Ong followed the heir again, placing one hand on Daniel’s shoulder and the other in the heir’s free hand. Ong didn’t realize how badly he needed to catch his breath until that moment. He wondered if this was what coming down from a high was like. He felt a bit lightheaded and dizzy. Butterflies still danced restlessly in his gut. His chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath.

 

Apparently he wasn’t the only one out of breath. When Daniel broke their silence, his words sounded slightly labored, “Guess you were the right choice after all. I didn’t expect you to know ballet.”

 

Ong grinned as the two settled into a comfortable waltz, “You’re not too bad yourself. When does a busy heir like yourself find time to practice dance? Isn’t your type supposed to be out partying and philandering?”

 

“Yeah I make sure my butlers pencil in the dance practice before the partying, but always after the philandering. It’s hard work, but someone has to do it.”

 

Seongwoo laughed, “I’m so glad you’re a man of the people.”

 

“What can I say, I’m a giver,” Daniel said. The two contentedly continued waltzing for a few wordless minutes, coming down from the rush of the first dance.

 

Without warning, the heir pulled Ong by the arm, leading him away from the dance floor.

 

“Wh-Where are we going?” Ong asked. His turned his head, hoping nobody noticed their departure. The guests didn’t seem to notice one bit, all too absorbed in their own dancing to notice.

 

“Let’s go somewhere cool!” The heir replied, an impish grin on his face.

 

* * *

 

Once again, Seongwoo felt like he’d been brought to another world. Well, more correctly, he felt as if he’d been brought back to his home world. He followed Daniel out a set of glass doors and stepped out into the museum’s scenic courtyard. In the middle of the concrete jungle, a few genuine, living trees stood tall, strung with lights. Not too far away, Ong could see cars pass and hear distant sirens. He took a deep breath, relishing in the crisp night air. Daniel lead Seongwoo to a nearby bench, and the two sat cozied up against one another (purely for warmth, of course).

 

After a relaxing minute of silence, Seongwoo spoke, “Why did you take me here?” He said.

 

“Well, I had to miss my philandering appointment so I thought-”

 

“Stop!” Ong said with a laugh. 

 

“Sorry, sorry. Just can’t help myself around beautiful dancers.”

 

Heat rushed to Ong’s face upon hearing the compliment, “I- Wh- Well then how do you handle looking in the mirror?” He turned it back on the heir. “Seriously, you’re pretty damn good. So do you perform as well, or?”

 

Daniel shook his head, “Perform? Oh god, no. I mean- I wish. Well, I sometimes wish.”

 

“Oh, you’re still in school now?”

 

“No, no. It’s just a hobby. My parents let me take ballet classes until I turned fourteen or so. After that I had to start learning about the business. I hope I lead okay. I bet a pro like you probably feared for your life.”   
  


_ He thinks I’m a pro?! _ Another wave of heat washed over Ong’s face,“Oh. Not at all. Dancing with you was… Like a fairytale.” He immediately felt embarrassed upon the slip of the tongue. “I- I mean, you were really easy to work with. You are a strong, trustworthy leader.”

 

The heir looked relieved, he gave Seongwoo a warm smile, “Thanks. I tried. What about you, anyways? My whole life is plastered on tabloid covers and blogs, but I don’t know anything about you.”

 

“Me? Oh, I-” _ Am a starving dance student who put his only source of income and dream job at risk to be here _ , “I suppose you already know I’m a dancer.”

 

“Obviously.” Daniel grinned.

 

“I-” Ong laughed nervously, “I just- I love to dance and make people smile. I like the atmosphere of coffee shops, and I really, really hate small talk to be honest.”

 

“Really? You seemed to charm quite a bit of high society in there.”

 

“I’m a natural bullshitter.” Seongwoo shrugged triumphantly before covering his mouth in shock. Daniel loved it, busting up in laughter at the crude admission. Feeling the handsome heir’s broad shoulders shake with laughter only fueled Ong’s embarrassment more. “I am so, so sorry, I-”

 

“Hey, man, you better watch your fuckin’ language.” Daniel smirked. 

 

Ong’s mouth dropped open in utter disbelief. Suppressing his own laughter, he responded, “Wh- Wh- Oh my god. Is that- Is that an accent?!” Even in the low lighting of the courtyard, Ong caught the pink shade spreading across the other’s cheeks.

 

“I like to think of it as more of a slight twang.” The heir looked away, self-conscious.

 

“Wait, but you sounded totally formal on stage!”

 

“Yeah well, guess accents aren’t very becoming on Kang Foundation Representatives.” He said, over enunciating every syllable of the company name.

 

“Yeah, swearing probably isn’t either.”

 

“I think the fuck not. I- I’m sorry, I shouldn’t speak so casually to a stranger.”

 

“First of all, I started it. Secondly, you can’t go back now. I won’t let you live this down.”

 

“Sshhh, I need you to keep my secret. The world can’t know I swear. Or have an accent.”

 

“Nothing like swearing and an accent to bring a company to it’s knees.” The two chuckled. When their laughs died down, they sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, appreciating the relative quiet of the December night air.

 

* * *

 

“Jaehwan, I thought you said you were done wiping these mirrors!” Minhyun nagged. He gestured to one of the mirrors on the wall, pointing deliberately at the streaks. 

 

“Okay, okay, okay,” Jaehwan said with a laugh, holding his hands up in defense. Despite his efforts, Minhyun still nailed him with a few smacks of the cleaning cloth he held.  “Hey, what time is it? Have you heard from Ong?”

 

“Do not change the subject! Though… That is a good point.” Minhyun threw a bottle of glass cleaner at Jaehwan, “You wipe, I check.” The older one grabbed his phone from his pocket, unlocking it. He hadn’t seen any snaps since the last few Ong took of the ballroom.

 

“Hm, that’s weird. I know I told him stop texting, but I figured he’d at least send a video of the first dance or something. Jerk. Out there enjoying himself and we can’t even get some videos of it.”

 

“You know we volunteered to do this, right?” Jaehwan said, “ _ You  _ volunteered us.”

 

“Well we weren't the ones with an invitation to one of the city’s most exclusive events. I bet twitter will at least have some good videos.” Minhyun tapped away on his phone, opening twitter and scrolling down his feed. There were lots of red carpet shots and a few interviews, but nothing on the inside. He decided to check the museum’s twitter, hoping he’d scout out Ong in the background of a picture or something. When he finally came across a video of the first dance, he happily pressed play.

 

“Oh my god,” Minhyun gasped.

 

Jaehwan groaned,“What? It’s totally clean this time, I swear. Streak free-”

 

“No, not that. The video of- of the first dance. Come over here and look at this!”

 

“Thank god,” Jaehwan muttered under his breath, joining Minhyun on the floor. Peeking over the other’s shoulder, he finally realized why Minhyun had been so shocked. “No.” Is all Jaehwan could muster.

 

Minhyun couldn’t tear his eyes away from the screen. When the short video ended, he immediately pressed replay,“That’s-”

 

“That’s-”

 

“That’s-”

 

“Is that-”

 

“It is-”

 

“It’s-”

 

“That is-”

 

After a long series of sputtering syllables, Jaehwan finally managed to form the sentence, “That’s our Ong.” There was no mistaking. The velvet burgundy tuxedo, the graceful, confident moves, his handsome jaw and fair complexion - it was their Ong Seongwoo.

 

“So much for going incognito,” Minhyun pursed his lips, looking at the screen. “Surely, he’s fine, right? I mean, if there was any sort of disaster or his boss found out, he’d tell us. Right?”

 

“I mean, I guess. Assuming he’s not dead.”

 

“Honey, I love how helpful you are in these situations.”

 

“Thank you, I try.”

 

“Do you think he’s okay?”

 

“He’s probably cowering in the corner by the bar.”

 

“Aww, our pour Ongie! Wait- What time is it?”

 

“Umm,” Minhyun looked at the clock on his phone, “Oh, crap! It’s almost twelve!” He and Jaehwan exchanged looks of horror. “He’s gotta get out of there. Like _ , now _ .”

 

* * *

 

“Now that you know about my secret, you have to tell me one of yours. It’s etiquette.” Daniel told the incognito student.

 

Ong complied with the heir’s wish, “My secret…” For one, I’m not supposed to be here right now. “Is that I like, no, I love dancing hip-hop.”

 

Daniel raised his eyebrows, a wide grin spreading across his plush lips, “Really? But your ballet-”

 

“Yeah, I know. I’ve practiced it for years, but I really like popping and locking freestyle. I know it’s looked down upon in-”

 

“That’s awesome.” Daniel cut him off. “You know, I,” He took on a hushed tone, “I b-boy.”

 

“Why did you whisper that like it’s a dirty thing.”

 

Daniel wrung a hand through his hair, face scrunching in embarrassment, “I- Well it is, okay? When I was a kid, my driver would drop me off at cram school, but I’d skip and go to a nearby basketball court to b-boy. There were a bunch of others there, but I think I was the youngest. In hindsight it was probably really weird for this little Asian kid to be b-boying with a bunch of older people.”

 

Ong laughed, “You skipped cram school?! Kang Daniel, you were a naughty kid!”

 

“I promise it was only dancing, I swear!”

 

“I can picture it now, little Daniel dancing in a back alley with a gang. I just freestyled in my room, but you had like, a clique. Did you ever get in dance battles?”

 

“Wh- I- I mean sometimes you did that, but-”

 

“Did you have to battle for turf struggles or, like, your reputation?”

 

“Please.” The heir was hunched over with laughter.

 

“Did anyone die.”

 

“Stop!”

 

“To think you lived a second life as a hardened gangster!”

 

“It’s better than just dancing in my room.” Daniel fired back.

 

“Hey! My stuffed animals  _ loved  _ it.” Ong replied. The two once again shared another round of laughter. Once again, silence comfortably wrapped around them like a blanket. Seongwoo rested his head on Daniel’s shoulder, the butterflies in his gut still flitting about. The heir reciprocated the gesture, leaning his head gently atop the student’s. Ong thought he would be content to remain in that position forever.

 

“May I ask you something?” Seongwoo broke the silence.

 

“Sure.” Daniel replied.

 

“Why did you choose me? To dance with, I mean.”

 

“Well… You just looked…”

 

_ Handsome? Out of place? Like a good dancer?  _ Ong wondered what he was gonna say.

 

“Happy.” Daniel finished. “I’m sorry if you expected something deeper than that. You just- You looked at everything like- like a kid seeing presents under the tree on Christmas day, you know? Like you were just happy to be apart of this… You didn’t look like you wanted anything other than to be here. I like that. This may come as a shock to you, but people with a lot of money often have ulterior motives.” He finished sarcastically.

 

Ong laughed, wondering if he could blush any harder than he had been already. “Well the truth is, I do have an ulterior motive,” He said.

 

“Oh? And what is that?”

 

“To eat food and dance.”

 

“You absolute snake,” Daniel said, his nose scrunching with laughter.

 

_ Oh no _ , Ong lamented,  _ What do I do? He’s really nice and cute. I didn’t ask for this... _

 

“Hm.” Daniel broke the silence, “Your face…”

 

Seongwoo sat upright, turning to him, “What? What is it?” A finger ghosted over his cheek leaving a burning trail of sparks in it’s wake.

 

“Are these really your birthmarks?” Daniel asked.

 

Ong smiled coyly, “Oh, those… Yeah. People say they’re like a-”

 

“Like a constellation, right? Pretty…” Daniel mused. The heir brought his hand to Seongwoo’s face once more, this time cupping his cheek, stroking the constellation with a thumb.

 

The student leaned into the touch, drinking in the sensation of the intimate gesture. Suddenly, the beating of inside his chest echoed deafeningly in his ears. When he looked up, their eyes locked, and Seongwoo couldn’t tear himself away. Daniel lifted his other hand to cup Seongwoo’s jaw and drew his face closer. 

 

_ Is this real life? _

 

Seongwoo let his eyes close, leaning in. He couldn’t remember the last time someone made him feel this way. The thought of it nearly made him tear up. Even if only for a night, he wanted to savor every second. Daniel’s breath tickled his nose, and the heir’s fingers started toying with the ribbon that kept Ong’s mask on his face. Their noses brushed, and Ong parted his lips in anticipation, ready, eager.

 

“ _ Sorry, Sorry, Sorry, Sorry _

_ naega naega naega meonjeo _

_ nege nege nege bbajyeo _

_ bbajyeo bbajyeo beoryeo baby!” _

 

Ong jolted back, his eyes widening in horror. He fumbled around his pockets, grabbing his phone and silencing the alarm.  _ No, no, no. _ He thought.  _ What time is it?!  _

 

The digits on the lockscreen read clearly: 12:00AM. A massive lump formed in his throat, and the butterflies in his stomach turned into sour anxiety. He stood up abruptly, a mortified expression on his face.

 

“I- I’m sorry. I have to go.” Ong said. Without another word, he ran out of the courtyard toward the nearest exit sign. 

 

“What?! Wait!” Daniel yelled after him, jumping to his feet, but it was too late. 

 

Ong blinked away the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes as he dashed through the museum doors. He didn’t look back.

 

* * *

 

Daniel started after him. He felt his heart splintering at the sight of his mysterious dance partner running away. It didn’t take long for him to realize that he wasn’t going to catch him. Suddenly, the night air lost the crisp, refreshing quality it had. 

 

It was just cold.

 

He shivered, slowly trodding back toward the museum. He tried to snuff out wistful fantasies about his dance partner with thoughts of fried chicken and soju. A tiny twinkle interrupted his muddled thinking. Squinting, Daniel approached the small object that caught the light and consequently his eye. He bent over and gingerly picked it up.

 

In his hands he held a familiar gold filigree mask with a silk ribbon affixed to each side. 

 

Observing it closely, he retraced the the night’s events in his mind. 

 

He started thinking.

 

* * *

 

 

Ong hunched over, catching his breath. The second his (embarrassingly revealing) alarm rang out, he had been on full flight mode. He’d sprinted to the subway, agonizing more and more with each passing second. The second the subway doors had opened, he bolted, shoving people aside. A few people had given him odd looks, probably wondering why anyone would go for their evening run in a tuxedo. Now he stood at the threshold of the home stretch. The student stumbled through the door of the building. He approached the elevator, smashing the up button as if it would make the elevator arrive faster.

 

“-es, it was wonderful. And they’re asleep?.... Yes…. Mhm!” A familiar voice rang out behind him. 

 

_ Oh no. _ Ong thought.

 

“Oh? Ha! Yes, the children are dramatic. I don’t know where they got it from. Yes? I’ll be home in about forty minutes. I just have something to check on in the studio…” Anna Ivanov sounded like she was chatting on the phone with a babysitter. Her heels clicked on the floor in the empty lobby, their echoing sound an indicator of Ong’s impending doom.

 

_ Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap! _

 

As Anna grew closer, Seongwoo became desperate. He knew she was too close, and at any moment she’d notice his face. He did the only thing he could and rushed to the stairwell.

 

_ I hate this. I hate this. I hate this. I hate this.  _ The words ran through Ong’s mind on repeat as he frantically ascended the stairs. The staircase seemed never ending, and when he finally reached the fifth floor, he wanted to cheer. Unfortunately he had zero time for jubilation. With a loud bang, he slammed the door open, darting to suite 5B. 

 

The second he opened the studio door Minhyun and Jaehwan rushed to his side.

  
Minhyun spoke first,“Where have you been!? We were worried about you!”

 

“I was terrified we’d have to face that dragon lady,” Jaehwan whined. 

 

“Okay, but also you have to tell us everything.”

 

“Everything?” Ong asked, out of breath. He followed the couple to the studio they’d just finished cleaning. “What everything? It wasn’t a big deal, okay?”

 

“Not a big deal? Not a big deal?!,” Jaehwan said. “Minhyun subjected me to hours of torture and all you give us is ‘not a big deal’-” The sound of a doorknob clicking silenced the trio. Minhyun and Jaehwan suddenly realized they’d never drafted an escape plan. Ong still had the issue of his tux to deal with.

 

“Strip, strip!” Minhyun mouthed animatedly as he dragged Jaehwan by the door. Ong gave him a confused look until he realized he still wore his tux. He simultaneously kicked his shoes off and ripped the jacket and button-down shirt off. Unbuttoning his pants, he gestured back and forth between himself and Jaehwan.

 

“No,” Jaehwan kept mouthing when he caught on. Despite his protests, a pair of formal trousers came flying at him, and he had no choice but to throw over his comfortable sweats. After putting on the pants, he tossed the rest of his clothes and shoes at his friends, nearly nailing Jaehwan in the face with an oxford. The click of heels on hardwood grew louder and louder. Nearly tripping, Ong scampered over to the mirrored wall and grabbed a rag, roughly wiping it over his face to smear his makeup. Before he could engage in any other disheveled pageantry, Ong saw Anna Ibanov peek her head in through the open door.

 

“Seongwoo!” She said, her voice sickeningly sweet. “Have you had a nice evening?” She stepped into the studio, assessing the space. Minhyun and Jaehwan both held their breath, scrunching behind the door as small as possible. 

 

“Not too shabby,” Anna said with a grin, “And, my, my and don’t you look… Sweaty.”

 

“Well, I wanted to make sure it was, really, really clean.” Ong said breathily. At the very least his exhaustion wasn’t fake. “And the ball? Was it, um, nice?”

 

“Oh, it was absolutely exquisite Seongwoo. The decorations, the orchestra, and the first dance!”

 

Ong’s heart jumped into his throat, “Wh- What about the dance?”

 

Ms. Ivanov’s smile widened, making her seem more nefarious than friendly. She took a few steps toward Seongwoo, looking him up and down. “The first dance was simply sublime. It had a certain something… The connection between Kang Daniel and his partner, well... ” She trailed off.

 

“Well what?” Ong asked. Anna took another few steps closer. He could feel the sweat dripping down his forehead, anxiety tightening in his chest.

 

_ What if she recognized me?! _

 

She quirked a perfectly sculpted eyebrow in amusement, a smug expression on her face. “Well... I think you just really had to  _ be there _ to understand what I’m saying.” She turned on her heel, walking back to the door,”Make sure you turn off all the lights before you lock up!” She barked before taking her leave. The clicks of her heels on the floor went further and further away until they vanished completely with the shutting of the suite’s door. Ong, Minhyun, and Jaehwan spent another five minutes in paralyzed silence. When they were certain Anna had truly gone, they all collapsed onto the floor in a fit of relieved sighs.

 

“Scary!” Jaehwan said. He couldn’t even bother standing up to move, rolling across the floor in Ong’s general direction.

 

“Wow, we really pulled that off.” Minhyun said. 

 

“You guys, you’re the best.” Ong said, joining Jaehwan in laying down on the floor.

 

Ever the proper one, Minhyun sat up neatly, scooting to get closer to his friends. He smiled, “To be honest, it was kind of fun.”

 

“Speak for yourself!” Jaehwan wailed. “When she opened the door I thought we were done for!”

 

“Who cares about that? We need to know everything that happened, Ong. Everything!”

 

“I care!” Jaehwan protested, “But I  _ also _ need to know everything, so tell us!”

 

Seongwoo could only laugh in response. Even in the face of the wacky, stressful situations they went through, his friends remained their true selves. When he collected himself, he replied, “Okay, I’ll tell you guys everything, but not here. I’m starving.”

 

“I’ve got ramyun and some beer back at my place,” Minhyun said. “You can spend the night.”

 

“Sounds good to me,” Ong said, “Jaehwan?”

 

“Yeah, yeah that’s fine.” He said. “Can I have my pants back now?”

 

Minhyun and Seongwoo merely responded with laughter, the noise echoing loudly in the studio. Though the three shared a lot of laughs that night, Daniel stuck stubbornly in the back of Ong’s mind.

 

* * *

 

“Daniel, you have that look on your face again.” Jisung groaned. He gave his younger friend a light smack on the forehead.

 

“Ah! Jisung what are you doing?” Daniel whined. 

 

“You’ve looked like that ever since you came back inside to the ball. What is your deal?” Jisung asked, crossing his arms. The gesture likely meant to impose some kind of big brotherly intimidation, but Daniel had a hard time taking Jisung seriously when he was wearing a sheet mask.

 

After the ball ended, the Daniel had not been eager to linger. He and Jisung took their car back to the apartment the family rented for Daniel in Manhattan. As promised, Jisung had ordered fried chicken and cracked open a bottle of soju. The older one thought that surely some junk food, netflix, and booze would cure Daniel of his mopey mood. Much to his dismay, it didn’t. 

 

“And will you  _ put that thing down _ ?!” Jisung pointed to the gold filigree mask in Daniel’s hands. The younger guy hadn’t put it down all night, and it was starting to weird out his unrelated-older-brother-best-friend-assistant.

 

“What? No- Stop it!” Daniel held onto the mask for dear life as Jisung tackled him on the couch, grabbing at it. “Jisung, stop being a bully!”

 

“What is so great about this thing anyways?” Jisung replied as he struggled.

 

“You’re gonna break it! Stop!”

 

“Why is this so important to you?” Jisung demanded an answer, getting off of Daniel so he could properly stare him down with crossed arms.

 

“It was his.”

 

Jisung’s face scrunched in confusion and he quirked an eyebrow, “His? Who is his? I mean- him? He…? Who is he?”

 

“Great execution.” Daniel snarked. He sat up straighter, sighing in resignation. “It was… It was  _ his-  _ the guy I danced with.”

 

Upon putting two and two together, Jisung’s mouth made an “O” and his eyes went wide. “Oh!  _ Oh _ ! Wait a minute…” He sat back down next to Daniel, this time cozying up with a cheeky grin, “So, do we  _ like  _ him?” Daniel chuckled. Leave it to Jisung to visibly experience twelve emotions over the span of a minute. He and Jisung shared everything, but for some reason opening up about the events of the ball made his cheeks flush. 

 

“What do you think?” Daniel said.

 

“Okay, okay. So, tell me about him, then. What’s his name? Who does he dance for-”

 

“I don’t know.” Daniel gave Jisung a chagrined face.

 

“You don’t know who he works for? That’s fine, I’m sure we can just google him or-”

 

“I didn’t even get his name.”

 

Jisung raised his eyebrows, animatedly blinking before shaking his head, “Kang Daniel, what  _ exactly  _ were you so busy doing that you didn’t ask his name.”

 

“Oh my god- No! No, no, no, no- get those thoughts out of your head now! It wasn’t like that!” Daniel hit the older boy with a pillow, “No! We just…” He chuckled. “We just talked.” He knew how cliche it sounded, but he was telling the genuine truth.

 

“Fine, okay. So what? Is he worth moping about all night? You’re Kang Daniel! You have thousands of twitter followers and multiple online fan clubs. You could blink at someone and they would fall for you! Why does one dude matter?”

 

“You don’t get it! I don’t know how to explain it. I just- He’s just… He’s… Different.” Daniel frowned. The older one conceded defeat, squeezing his longtime friend into a hug. He had seen how those two danced together, whatever chemistry the two shared clearly transcended the ordinary.

 

“Alright, ‘Niel. It’ll be fine. I mean, at the very least he’ll reach out to you, right? He knows who you are.”

 

“That’s the strange thing,” Daniel glanced at the mask again, “When he left, he never really said goodbye. He just… He just heard Sorry Sorry and bolted. He kept yelling ‘I’m sorry, I have to go’ and just like that he was gone.”

 

“He heard what?”

 

“Sorry Sorry, you know, the song- that’s not important! The point is he just… He ran like he was fleeing the scene of the crime, like he was in trouble…”

 

“Do you think maybe he’s just not at peace with having feelings like that for a man?”

 

“No, I don’t think that’s it. You don’t set an alarm for something like that…”

 

“So all you have to go on is what, exactly?”

 

“He’s a dancer! He’s maybe a few centimeters shorter than me… Dark hair, dark eyes, pale complexion.”

 

“Well, that narrows it down, I’m sure we can find him tomorrow with that information.” Jisung said sarcastically.

 

“Wait! There  _ is  _ something I remember about him- something unique! On his cheek he has a birthmark. Three tiny dots that look like a constellation together. It’s adorable.”

 

“Okay, we’re getting closer.” Jisung nodded, “While it’s not jarringly noticeable, we can work with this. Birthmarks are unique. Plus there’s a guestbook for the ball, there were only so many invites given out...”

 

Daniel pouted, “Yeah, but line up every person who attended the ball and put a magnifying glass to their face, can I?”

 

“No…” Jisung replied. The two sat in silence for a minute until the older of the two spoke once more. “No,  _ you  _ can’t go out searching for every young guy who went to the ball, but what if there was a way that they could approach you?”

 

For the first time in hours, Daniel perked up. He cocked an eyebrow,“I’m listening.”


	3. Chapter 3

_ Dance, Dance, Dance, Dance _

 

_ "Sorry, Sorry, Sorry, Sorry _

_ naega naega naega meonjeo _

_ nege nege nege bbajyeo-" _

 

_ Note to self, _ Ong thought, _ Change your alarm. _

 

Seongwoo sat up and stretched, blinking as he adjusted to the bright light coming through the windows.  _ Ouch _ , he thought as he tried moving.  _ Ow. Oh god, why does everything hurt? _ Recollection of the dance and his marathon back to the studio flashed through his head. He considered himself fit, but even in his current shape the previous night’s shenanigans pushed him. Looking around, he remembered that he hadn’t gone home last night, instead crashing at Minhyun’s place. 

 

The aforementioned keyholder strode into the open living area looking as ethereal as ever, “Good morning sleepyhead.” Minhyun said, “Coffee?”

 

Yawning, Seongwoo shook his head, “Nah, I need to go home and get a shower. I’ll grab a cup at the usual place. I got stuff to do.”

 

“Okay,” Minhyun said, pouring himself a cup, “And, hey, are you gonna be okay?” He asked, his voice softer.

 

Ong rolled his eyes. Minhyun always worried way too much in his opinion. The trio had spent the remainder of the last night talking about the ball. They’d talked about the people Ong met, the dances, the decorations, the food, and of course: the boy. It was no secret that Seongwoo had successfully broken his own heart by letting himself get so close to Kang Daniel in such a short time. Despite that fact, he opted to charge forward in his unremarkable life, hopefully soon forgetting the fireworks that Daniel ignited in his heart. Realistically, they were from two completely different worlds and Ong knew that. He considered his brief foray into high society like a vacation to Daniel’s world, but now vacation was over.

 

“I’ll be fine, Minhyun. Please, don’t worry or stress for me, okay? Jaehwan probably causes enough of that for three people on his own.”

 

“God, you are so right.” Minhyun laughed, an angelic smile spreading across his lips. Occasionally, Ong wondered how someone beautiful, intelligent, and funny like Minhyun ended up with someone as odd as Jaehwan. However, he didn’t have much time to contemplate the nature of life and romance. He gathered his things and started his trek home.

 

As he stepped out of Minhyun’s apartment building, he couldn’t help but think about how much of a bold faced liar mother nature had been. The sun shone brightly and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky, but the frosty air stung his skin. Descending the subway stairs, he was given a much needed respite from the frigid cold. When his train arrived, he took a seat, grabbing his phone for some casual reading on the ride to his stop. That’s when he saw the notifications.

 

**Minhyun** : TEXT ME IMMEDIATELY WHEN U SEE IT

**Minhyun** : DID U DO IT YET?

**Minhyun** : OPEN TWITTER NOW

**Minhyun** : OH MY GOD

**Minhyun** : OMG

**Minhyun** : FJFJSJSJSSDSDFJFJSDSDJSJDFJFJSJDSFS

**Minhyun** : bINCH

 

_ If this is about the newest Roomba model I’m blocking his number _ , Ong laughed internally. He unlocked his phone and opened the app, opening a DM from Minhyun to see whatever tweet sent him into such a tizzy. Tapping the link, his heart dropped the instant he saw the post.

 

The first thing he noticed was the picture of a gold filigree mask on a table. A very familiar gold filigree mask. His eyes widened, his gaze darting to the username of the person who posted it. He read clealry in sans serif lettering, “@kangdaniel_”, a tiny checkmark next to the username to confirm it was a verified account.  _ His  _ verified account.

 

The tweet read, “Hey, someone left this @ the ball last night. Looking for the dancer with the constellation on his face who dropped this. If anyone knows anything pls lmk, ty!”. The tweet already had hundreds of retweet and replies. Ong had no idea what to do, what to say, what to think. Responses to the post varied from the simple “I hope u find the owner! Love u!!” to the more extreme “if u lookin for constellations im the milky way daddy”. Some people responded with pictures of their own birthmarks, apparently hoping it would elicit a response. Ong couldn’t help the way his jaw dropped open. It felt pathetic to him that just seeing the man’s twitter handle made his heart beat faster. He stared at the tweet for his entire train ride, nearly missing his stop. 

 

The post stubbornly stuck in his head on his walk home and up the stairs to his apartment. It stayed there as he showered, put on clothes, and once again walked to the coffee shop. It wasn’t until he had a hot cup of coffee that he could muster a response to Minhyun.

 

“Wellp,” Ong typed. His phone came to life with a flurry of notifications. Apparently Minhyun had taken the liberty of making a group chat to talk about his personal life.  _ Fantastic _ , he thought.

 

**Minhyun** : WELLP IS ALL WE GET?

**Jaehwan** : Wellp

idk what else to say lol like??

**Minhyun** : Ur supposed to say smth like “i’m sending him my selfie right now btw we’re getting married soon and ur my best man Minhyun”

**Jaehwan** : hol up

**Jaehwan** : who died and made u best man

great priorities guys

**Minhyun** : Ok but you ARE gonna send him ur pic, right??? nobody has that birth mark like urs

nah i like having a job and not turning one of the city’s most influential studio owners against me

**Jaehwan** : oh my god ohhhmyg od oh ymy gOdDD oh mygOd

**Minhyun** : JOB??

**Minhyun** : SERIOUS???

**Minhyun** : BITCH HE RICH HELL BE YA DAM SUGAR DADDY

 i dont want a sugar daddy ffs

anyways if he found out the kind of person i rly am im p sure hed be like

nah lol

**Jaehwan** : ???

**Jaehwan** : ???????

**Minhyun** : Wtf lmao

 PLS

ye im sure financial corporation heirs are supes into starvin students

not sure how id break that to him like…?

oh hey sup i know i let u think i was a glamorous celebrity dancer whos a part of high society but actually im a poor student who works as a slave for satan while stealing his neighbors wifi so he can cry himself to sleep while listening to super juniors third album for the 20th time

**Jaehwan** : i mean

**Jeahwan** : thats a bit of a mouthful tbh but

 STOP

 im gonna move on w my life. hell move on and find some hot celeb and we can all fondly remember the time i had a pseudo 1 night stand w a celebrity

the end

 bc lbr i am NOT some rich glam prince’s dream dude LOL

**Minhyun** : omg i cant

**Jaehwan** : all i hear is   
**Jaehwan** : BOOOHOOOBLOOBHOOOBLOO im ong im hot n talented. hotties notice me but im too scared of upsetting ppl (??????) to do anything abt it BLOOBLOOBLOOO

 wow

ok once again tryna keep my JOB here

and so what if i dont

but im ?? the bad guy?

**Minhyun** : Ok calm down guys

**Jaehwan** : Ong u know i dont mean it like that

**Jaehwan** : like fine live ur fkn life

**Jaehwan** : in the job u hate

**Jaehwan** : where u work for some cross between donald trump and the evil stepmother from cinderella

**Jaehwan** : like fine ok whatever

**Minhyun** : Jae

 ???

maybe try minding ur own business ok

**Jaehwan** : ?? its my business when u constantly come to us crying abt ur soul sucking job and shitty life

**Jaehwan** : try doing something about it for once

Minhyun collect ur mans

maybe ud understand if u actually had a real job

we cant all just leech off of our bfs and play in coffeeshops for a living lol

**Minhyun** : Seriously guys?

whatever. i have to work. Bye.

 

The chat left a sour feeling in Ong’s chest that he found hard to shake as he left the coffee shop. It doesn’t matter. He told himself. Part of him felt immensely guilty for making a jab at Jaehwan’s struggling singing career. He knew how hard his friend had been trying to make it in the city. They all were. Just as he thought he ought to call and apologize, he remembered the sting of Jaehwan’s words:

 

“Try doing something about it for once.”

 

Ong stuffed his phone in his pocket, not even listening to music as he made his commute to Ivanov Dance Studio. 

 

* * *

 

Ong counted out the beat to Tea from The Nutcracker, watching the elementary age kids dance along. It’d been about a week since he had last spoken to Minhyun or Jaehwan - a personal record. He added their argument to the growing list of things he didn’t want to think about. Kang Daniel, the ball, his argument with his friends, the reality that he has no other real friends… All things that he shoved to the back of his brain. Well, tried to at least.

 

Parents were gathering along the perimeter of the studio, indicating that practice was soon to end. They all watched on gleefully, a few even recording videos on their phones. It made Ong think about his parents. He knew he didn’t call them enough. Though he excused it as him being a workaholic, in truth he just didn’t want to talk to them about his life. It wasn’t personal against them, but explaining to his parents on the phone why he hasn’t seen a stage in years was just too difficult for him. 

 

_ Not talking to my parents enough. That’s gonna go on the list, too. _

 

The last group if children finished their Tea dance, and the parents all clapped, absolutely thrilled to see their kids having such a good time. Ong smiled, clapping too as he returned his attention to the present.

 

“I’ll see you next time!” He said, waving at the parents departing with their kids in tow. When the studio cleared out, Seongwoo gathered his things. He had his own class to worry about in a couple of hours and got ready to head out. School used to feel like drudgery, but lately it was the best distraction he had from all the other negative thoughts looming at the back of his head.

 

“Seongwoo, thank god.” Ms. Ivanov popped her head in, “I need you to walk Isadora and pick up the dry cleaning on the way.” She unceremoniously shoved a dry cleaning card in his face. In response, he raised his eyebrows, silently looking at it. Not getting the idea, Ms. Ivanov, waved it around, growing impatient. “Ong typically when you pick up the dry cleaning, you take the card so you can give it to them-”

 

“I know how to pick up dry cleaning, ma’am.” He said, frowning, “It’s just- I have class, so I need to go. I can pick it up afterwards if they’re open later-”

 

“Later?” Anna said, “Did I ask you to do this later?”

 

“I- No, Ms. Ivanov, but I have to go. I thought we discussed this when we talked about my schedule availability-”

 

“So you  _ have  _ to go to class?”

 

Yes. He thought. Yes I do. “I apologize for misunderstanding, but, what exactly is the problem here?”

 

“College students skip all the time, that is a fact. I ask you to do it once, and suddenly you are so adamant about attending class? My problem here is that when I hired you I assumed you understood the values and standards I hold. Great dancers are not made in classrooms and taking notes is not going to get you on the stage.”

 

Ong bit his tongue, his chest clenching with frustration.

 

“I ask you to do one little favor, and this is the response I get? Are you going to act like this every time a director or producer asks something of you? You will  _ never  _ make it in this industry if all you think about is doing what  _ you  _ want-”

 

“Ms. Ivanov, I quit.” Seongwoo said flatly.

 

“I- Excuse me? I’m sorry, Seongwoo, I think I misheard you.”

 

“I quit.” He said again, this time more loudly so she didn’t mistake his words.

 

Anna looked amused initially, but the look in her eyes revealed acute annoyance, “You quit? Seongwoo, I- Have you thought this through?”

 

“Thoroughly, Ms. Ivanov.” He said. “I quit. I will collect my things- not that I have a lot of stuff here- and be on my way within the hour. Don’t worry, it’ll be like I was never here.”

 

She scowled at him, “I will give you one chance to take back your resignation. I’ll pretend to forget this little… Lapse of judgement ever happened.”

 

Seongwoo shook his head, “That won’t be necessary.” He started making his way toward the door. “Oh, but I do thank you for the opportunity. I learned a lot here.”

 

“You’re making a big mistake.” She said.

 

He shrugged, “Maybe.” Is all he said before disappearing through the door of suite 5B. 

 

“You’ll never dance in this town again!” He heard her yell shrilly behind him.

  
_ Again? I never danced in the first place. _ Ong thought, storming out.

 

Walking out of the building, Seongwoo felt incredibly light. With each step further away from the building he feared his feet would leave the ground. He knew that eventually anxiety at the impulsive decision would flood his system, but in the present he opted to enjoy the relief. Instinctually, he took out his phone and tapped Minhyun’s name on a text. His heart sunk as he remembered his argument with Jaehwan (and by proxy, Minhyun). He locked his phone, putting it back in his pocket.

 

There’s one more thing I have to make right.

 

* * *

 

“ _ Knock! Knock! Knock! _ ”

  
Ong fidgeted anxiously in front of Minhyun’s apartment door. _ Maybe he won’t answer,  _ he told himself.  _ Maybe I should just go home and write a very well thought out text. _ Just as he had successfully talked himself out of it, the door opened. Seongwoo gasped in surprise, mouth flapping open and shut in an attempt to find words.

 

“Who is it?” A voice yelled in behind Minhyun. Sure enough, Jaehwan’s short form lazily walked to the open door, peeking out from behind his boyfriend. “Oh.” He muttered upon seeing Ong. An awkward silence blanketed the three of them for a fat minute as they wracked their brains for what to say.

 

“I’m sorry!” “You were right!” Seongwoo and Jaehwan blurted out at the same time.

 

“I was out of line!” “No  _ I’m _ sorry!” They said again.

 

Minhyun smiled,“Why don’t you come in?” He had barely gotten the last syllable out before Seongwoo burst through the door, tackling Jaehwan into a hug. Closing the door behind him, Minhyun watched the two with a bemused look. Their sincere apologies quickly devolved into nonsensical shouting and a pillow fight. 

 

“Children?” Minhyun said, looking at the yelling pile on the floor. The two grinned at him sheepishly climbing off of one another. “Alright, Ong. Sit down, sit down! You have to fill us in on your thrilling week! I don’t think we’ve gone so long without talking to you since we met.” Seongwoo obliged, taking a seat at Minhyun’s counter. He graciously took the cup of coffee his modelesque friend slid over to him and began talking.

 

“I mean, I guess as a whole it was a shitty week. Work was hell and…” He looked at Jaehwan fondly, “I didn’t even have any shoulders to cry on. Oh, but I did quit my job.” He said casually.

 

“Wait, what?!” Minhyun’s jaw dropped.

 

“You’re kidding, right?!” Jaehwan said. “Oh my god!” The musician rushed to wrap Ong up in another tight hug. “What did you tell her? Did you destroy one of the studios? I hope you broke something.”

 

Ong laughed beneath Jaehwan’s tight clutches, “Well, I slammed a door  _ quite  _ loudly.”

 

Minhyun shook his head, saying sarcastically, “You absolute wild man.”

 

“My secretly ferocious Ongie! I’m so proud of you,” Jaehwan said, not letting go.

 

“I am out of a job, though. Even though I never went on stage, I’ll kinda miss working with all the kids. It was fun.”

 

Minhyun replied,“Yeah, well, Ivanov Studios isn’t the only place on this Earth to dance. You resigned which looks better on an application than firing, so that’s a plus. Though I wouldn’t look forward to a glowing recommendation.”

 

“Guess we’ll see if she makes good on that ‘you’ll never dance in this town again’ threat.”

 

Jaehwan let go, shrugging, “I bet everyone secretly hates her anyways.”

 

“I guess I need to update my resume, though.”

 

“You also need to do something else.” Jaehwan said. Seongwoo quirked an eyebrow inquisitively, and he soon got an answer in the form of a phone shoved in his face.

 

“You haven’t answered him!” Jaehwan nagged, presenting Ong with Kang Daniel’s twitter account. Heat rose to Ong’s cheeks, and he looked away awkwardly as if it would make the tweet go away. 

 

“Huh?” Jaehwan uttered, taking his phone back, “Wait, where’d it go?”

 

“Where did what go?” Minhyun asked.

 

“His tweet. The mask picture it’s… It’s gone.”

 

“What, no way! Let me see,” Minhyun joined jaehwan, taking his own phone out and scrolling furiously. Ong didn’t think his internal praying would actually result in the tweet being gone.

 

“Oh my god, it is gone!” Minhyun exclaimed. The couple immediately turned to Seongwoo, giving him exasperated expressions. “Please tell me this is because you told him who you are,” Minhyun crossed his arms.

 

Seongwoo replied,“And tell Kang Daniel that he got catfished? I don’t think so!” 

 

“It’s not catfishing if you’re the  _ actual person in the picture _ !” Minhyun exclaimed, vexed. He looked ready to throw his own coffee at Ong’s face. “Ong, I’m proud of you, I really am.” The sweet tone of Minhyun’s voice had a vaguely threatening vibe to it, “You have come so far, which is why I, as a friend, urge you to go further…” He approached Seongwoo for what appeared to be a hug.

 

“I love, you too, but- Wh- Hey! What are you doing?!” Seongwoo suddenly felt violated. Minhyun’s supposed hug was actually a badly hidden attempt at pickpocketing him. “Hey stop it! Stop it!” Ong tried slapping the other’s hand away.

 

“This is for your own good! Jaehwan, hold him! Hold him!”

 

“Holding him!” Jaehwan hollered, joining Minhyun in the assault. Ong felt a hand finally slip into his pocket, sliding out his phone.

 

Seongwoo yelled protests,“What are you doing?! What are you gonna do! Noooo!”

 

“Ah, that’s better,” Minhyun muttered, “Your screen is disgustingly dirty by the way. Okay, that is getting cleaned immediately before anything else.” Ong could only watch helplessly as Minhyun crossed to the other side of the kitchen to grab a rag. Despite his struggling, Jaehwan managed to maintain a solid hold, keeping him handily restrained in his arms.

 

“Stop it! Stop it!” Ong yelled. “Jaehwan what the hell? How are you so strong?!”

 

“I lift,” He snarked.

 

“You do  _ not  _ lift- Minhyun, Minhyun no-” Minhyun appeared to still be wiping off his phone screen, eyes squinting as if one particular spot was being extra tricky. Unfortunately Ong’s window shortened with each passing second. Minhyun seemed satisfied with  his work at wiping off the screen and began tapping at the screen.

 

The tall man blinked at the phone confusedly for a few moments. He tapped it again, but still looked puzzled. After a moment his face lit up with realization. He glanced at Seongwoo and Jaehwan, shrugging, “I don’t know his passcode.” The other two, still engaged in mortal combat, groaned loudly in response.

 

“Well that’s a bummer.” Jaehwan said, letting Ong go. “Why do you think he deleted it?”

 

“I don’t know.” Minhyun said.

 

Seongwoo nodded. Even though it was his own fault, he couldn’t help the pit that formed in his stomach. Part of him, well, more than just part, dreamed of running into Kang Daniel’s arms. Without his friends, the only thing he had had to get him through the past week were the memories of the ball. 

 

“Who knows,” Ong said. Try as he might, he couldn't help looking a bit down because of it.

 

Minhyun tactfully decided to change the subject, “Well, that doesn’t matter. Why don’t I grab my laptop so we can work on your resume a bit? Even if you don’t immediately get into a company you can at least get something to hold you over.” Seongwoo nodded, giving his friend a halfhearted smile.

 

* * *

 

Ong sat nervously in the back room of his favorite coffee shop. Even though he had been there so many times, it never occurred to him that anything existed beyond what he saw behind the counter. The back office was neat and cozy, it suited the manager who regarded him fondly.

 

“Seongwoo, you come here all the time. I bet you know half the drinks better than we do. Plus past barista experience is a big plus.” Hong Eunki said with an amiable smile. “When can you start?”

 

“You know what?” Ong replied, “I recently had a big opening in my schedule, I can start any time this week. Would you like me to write down my class schedule for you?”

 

“Sounds great! Well, let me grab some paperwork,” Eunki said, giving him a bright smile. “


	4. Chapter 4

Jisung stood across the corner office pouting. He pursed his lips and crossed his arms, staring down his best-friend-brother-pseudo-boss. It looked beautiful outside, the sky clear, the sun shining brightly through the top to bottom windows in the chic office space. Due to the ball being over, the company got a few weeks of relative rest, a down season for events and promotions. Thank you letters were still swarming into the mail by the dozen. Magazines, bloggers, and news networks were still talking about the ball. They ate up the story of the mysterious dancer in the maroon suit. There were even people who swore the dance had been choreographed prior. They finally got a pleasant time of rest after a stormy year of activity.

 

Yet Kang Daniel still looked mopey. It took him a moment to realize someone was looking at him. He quirked an eyebrow at Jisung, finally speaking, “You look like you have digestion issues.”

 

“You’ve been staring at nothing for nearly an hour.”

 

“Sorry,” Daniel replied, “Just need my coffee. Did you bring that?’

 

“I got you coffee thirty minutes ago.” Jisung groaned, “It’s probably cold by now.” He defeatedly collapsed into a nearby wheeled chair, haphazardly rolling toward Daniel’s desk. “It’s still him, isn’t it?” He asked more tenderly.

 

The glum heir nodded, “I… I know I shouldn’t have expected anything. It’s done now, I deleted the tweet. I’m over it.”

 

That elicited a laugh out of Jisung, “Okay, well, you are not over it. But that’s okay! You’re taking a step. It’s only been a week and a half, give it a couple more weeks and you won’t even remember a thing.”

 

“See- That’s the weird thing! It’s been a week! In internet time that’s like a year. And what of him?  _ Nothing _ ! I- I’m so embarrassed to be rejected like this.” Daniel couldn’t help but laugh at the surreal patheticness of his situation. He didn’t know what felt worse, the situation itself or the fact that he genuinely wanted to cry over it.

 

Jisung rolled his chair behind Daniel’s desk so he could pat his shoulder,“Maybe he didn’t see your tweet? Look- It doesn’t even matter because you’re getting over this, right?”

 

“Mhm. Yup. You’re right. You’re right. I am getting over it.”

 

“Yes you are.”

 

“I’m so over it.”

 

“So over it.”

“Very.”

 

“Yup…”

 

“...Actually lemme just google something really qui-”

 

“Daniel!”

 

“Okay, I’m not over it! I’m not! So what, it’s only been a week, like you said. Give me some time!”

 

Jisung pinched the bridge of his nose, “You know I support you no matter what you do, I’m gonna be a bit selfish here for a second, okay? So, like, for my sake, can you please choose an emotion and stick to one?”

 

“You say that, but you just complain when I act dreary.”

 

“That’s my way of empathizing!” Jisung joked. “Anyways, I really do just hate seeing you like this. Okay, look, if it makes you feel better we can search for him.”

 

“What? We already tried that.” Despite the cynicism expressed, Daniel notably perked up.

 

“We tried having him come to us, but that didn’t work. We just need to approach it differently. I mean, what do we know about him? Something that we didn’t think about before?”

 

Daniel shrugged, rattling off his thoughts, “Dark hair, dark eyes, fair complexion, similar height to mine… Slender build but strong.”

 

“Think outside of physical traits. Aside from his birthmark, that’s getting us nowhere.”

 

“Outside of physical? Well… He’s a dancer. He loves it, too. He knows his way around ballet, but he really likes hip hop style.”   
  
“Okay, there we go! Do you think he’s with a studio that does hip hop?”   
  


Daniel shook his head, “Nah, he called it his dirty secret.”

 

“So he dances for somewhere strict? Classical maybe?”

 

“That barely narrows it down, though. No, you’re right, I need to work on getting over thi-”

 

“Shut up, please. One emotion at a time, thank you. Come on, you had to have learned something else. Think, Daniel,” Jisung shook his good friend, “Think!”

 

“Okay!” The heir laughed. Something about Jisung’s eccentricities always made him smile, “I mean we met, we danced, we went to the courtyard and talked. We talked about dance, and he ran off the second he heard his alarm.”

 

“He set an alarm? For what?”

 

“To leave, I guess. That’s what he said. He kept saying ‘I have to go, I have to go’. It’s like I told you.”

 

“Hm. Midnight’s kind of early to turn in from a night out, isn’t it?”

 

“I guess. I just hear Sorry Sorry and he’s gone.”

 

“You hear what?” Jisung raised his eyebrows.

 

“Sorry Sorry.” Daniel told him. “You know, the song by-” He paused mid-sentence, sitting upright. His brow furrowed as the gears in his head began turning.

 

“It’s by Super Junior, in case you forgot.” Jisung said. “I don’t how you’d forget, it’s a classic, but-”

 

Daniel abruptly stood up, grabbing his coat off the back of his chair, “I’m going out.”

 

“Wha- Where? Where are you going?!” Jisung scrambled out of his chair to catch up with the heir who had already passed through the office door. 

 

“Don’t wait up!” Daniel hollered behind him as he bounded toward the elevator. 

 

Jisung watched in utter shock as his boss pounded the down button on the elevator,“I don’t think your mystery man is a member of Super Junior!” He yelled, watching the elevator door close with Daniel in it.

 

* * *

 

Low chatter and lo-fi hip hop music filled the coffee shop where Seongwoo worked. Within only a few days of work he had managed to acclimate himself to the work fairly well. Mornings were busy, but he always found himself at home in fast paced environments. The customers were pleasant and it always smelled amazing. Also, unlike his previous boss, Eunki kindly accommodated Ong’s school schedule. Seongwoo no longer had to run someone else’s errands, and he could call his boss by his first name. Even though it wasn’t nearly as prestigious, he happily paid the price for a sane, healthy work life.

 

“Have a good afternoon!” Ong waved to a leaving customer.  

 

“Ugh, Ong, look at this!” His coworker, Ha Sungwoon, said with a dramatically dismayed voice, “Ong how do you always get so many tips!?” He held up the tip jar they kept by the cash register. He pouted at the thing, squinting at the sloppily folded bills and the coins inside. “You’re too handsome, I don’t stand a chance.”

 

Seongwoo chuckled, “You know those are distributed evenly, right? You should be thanking me.”

 

“It’s the principle of the matter! Does my face not invite admiration in the form of liquid cash?”

 

Laughing, Ong replied, “If I was rich I would throw tons of money directly at your face.”

 

“Thank you.” Sungwoon said, looking comically overjoyed by the statement. Their voices echoed in the mostly empty cafe. Most of the customers cleared out after the lunch rush, leaving a sole girl typing away on her laptop in the corner. During the slow period, Eunki recommended the workers do some cleaning, and that’s what they did. Grabbing rags, the two started wiping down their work areas and chatting.

 

“Okay, so, rumor has it you used to work with Anna Ivanov.  _ The  _ Anna Ivanov,” Sungwoon said. 

 

“Yup, sure did. If she ever comes here, though, you don’t know me.” Ong chuckled, wiping down a counter.

 

Sungwoon gasped, “Oh my god. What the heck did you do?”

 

“She was just, um, unhappy that I left.”

 

“I was gonna ask, why’d you leave anyways? It seems like a pretty lux gig to me. Dancing in a fancy studio like that.”

 

_ Sweet summer child _ , Ong thought. “It just, um… It didn’t really work with my school schedule.”

 

“Unlucky! I feel you, though. I really want to audition for one of my school productions, but I don’t know how I can manage that, classes, and a job.” 

 

“Why not?” Seongwoo said, “You should audition. If you get cast, you can just say no.”

 

“Hm. You’ve got a point. Maybe I will…”

 

The two continued their pleasant conversation, talking the afternoon away. When Sungwoon mentioned the ball in passing, he did his best to quell the aching in his heart, speaking as if he’d only seen it on the internet.

 

* * *

 

Daniel pursed his lips, looking at the TV screens in the record shop’s window. It seemed like Seventeen’s Clap was the featured track that day. Daniel had watched the music video on loop probably twenty times as he waited outside the shop for something. Well, someone. Unfortunately there’d been no sign of his mystery man.

 

He had stepped inside for the shop a little bit, even asking the person behind the counter if they’d seen his “friend”. The disinterested looking girl shook her head, saying that there were tons of dudes who fit the description. She either didn’t recognize the heir or didn’t care. Either way, it had come to Daniel as a relief. The last thing he needed was to stir up more public attention about his personal affairs. He glanced at his watch, widening his eyes at how long he’d just stood there.

 

_ Has it really been over an hour? _ The thought made him want to cry. A pit formed in his stomach, and he let his feet carry him away from the record store.

 

_ Stupid, stupid, stupid.  _

 

_ Kang Daniel, you are so stupid. _

 

A gloomy expression befalling his face, the heir trudged in a random direction. 

 

_ I’m never gonna find him. Why am I even so attached to him? _

 

_ Is it just the idea of some gorgeous stranger that appeals to me? Am I just bitter about being ran out on? _

 

He frowned, trying to ignore the lump in his throat.

 

_ No.  _

 

_ It’s not like that. _

 

_ Not the way I felt when we touched. _

 

_ Crap. It’s cold. _

 

Daniel huddled his jacket closer, glancing down the block. As if placed by the benevolent gods, a chalk sign stood a few feet in front of him advertising a coffee shop. He sighed in relief. A hot beverage could be just what the doctor ordered. Grinning, he entered the cafe. It looked more like someone’s large closet than a cafe, but it just gave the space an endearingly cozy vibe in Daniel’s opinion.

 

“Hey! Good afternoon!” A jovial voice called from behind the counter.

 

* * *

 

The telltale bell of the door opening rang out, signalling the two that someone had just entered their tiny corner of the city.

 

“Hey! Good afternoon!” Sungwoon called out. He had been restocking the pastry case. Finally standing up to see the customer he needed to suppress the urge to drop his jaw. Seongwoo busily restocked the loose leaf tea jars behind him. Back to everyone else and completely oblivious, the dance student had no idea why Sungwoon was smacking him with a rag.

 

Rolling his eyes, Ong quickly turned around, opening his mouth to tell off Sungwoon. Suddenly, he saw what, well, who, Sungwoon was freaking out about. His heart leapt into his throat and he immediately ducked below the counter, covering his face. Sungwoon looked down, absolutely baffled, but quickly transitioned into customer service mode.

 

“What can I get you?” Sungwoon asked, kicking his hunched over coworker behind the counter. 

 

“Hm…” Kang Daniel mused, eyeing the menu. “I’ll get a cafe latte, oh, and what’s your favorite pastry.”

 

Sungwoon smiled, “I think our croissants are the perfect thing to eat with a coffee.” Little did the heir at the counter know that there was still a coworker getting kicked just a few feet away.

 

Daniel nodded, “Sound good. I’ll have that then.” He handed his card to Sungwoon, taking the cashier up on the offer to have it warmed up. “We’ll take it out to you, just take a seat,” He told the heir, waving him away with a warm smile. The second Daniel’s attention seemed to be elsewhere, Sungwoon bent over to whisper to Ong, “What is wrong with you?! That is- That is  _ royalty  _ out there and you’re- What are you doing? Hiding?!” He smacked Ong with his rag again.

 

“I am not hiding, I’m… Cleaning?” Seongwoo didn’t even manage to convince himself that the answer was genuine. Heat stung his cheeks and his heart pattered anxiously. He could feel Sungwoon’s judgement as if it came out of his eyes in lasers. 

 

“Well I’m working, and I’d appreciate if you did it too! Man, I never thought you’d be the type to be shy around celebrities.” Sungwoon chuckled, ruffling Ong’s hair. Grabbing Ong’s collar, Sungwoon guided him to a standing position, patting him on the shoulder again before turning to make the order.

 

_ Don’t look, don’t look, don’t look, don’t look, _ Ong urged himself.  _ Don’t look, don’t look, do not look at him, don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t- _

 

He looked.

 

_ Maybe just one short, tiny glance.  _ He thought. Seeing him so close made a wave of emotions roll over him. He ached so badly to feel his touch again. Memories of that night flashed through Seongwoo’s head again. Daniel’s breath tickling his skin, the searing hot trail of sparks that his touch left on his skin, his secure hold enabling him to leap confidently with grace, his scrunching nose and laughter. As if he could sense something curious, Daniel looked up, inciting panic in the newly minted barista once more. He reflexively grabbed the first thing he could reach, a jar of coffee beans, and held it in front of his face.

 

“Oh my god,” He heard Sungwoon mutter over the whirring sound of the espresso machine hard at work. Daniel looked down, and against his good judgement, Seongwoo found himself staring again. 

 

Sungwoon leaned close to his pathetically bashful coworker to whisper to him, “Why don’t you go and talk to him?”

 

“You want me to just  _ go  _ and…  _ Talk to him _ ?”

 

“If it means you’ll stop acting like a crazy person, yes. This is bad for business!”

 

“We have two customers.”

 

“And we won’t get more if you’re hiding behind everything like a lunatic. Now go put the croissant in the oven for a minute.”

 

“Do I have to?”

 

“Yes you have to. I’m your elder, listen to your elder-”

 

“Excuse me?” Kang Daniel’s soft voice interrupted the intense whisper conversation.

 

“Everything is fine!” Sungwoon blurted out as Seongwoo bolted in the back toward the oven. “Your latte is almost done, and your croissant will be out in a few minutes. Is there anything else we can get you? A water perhaps?”

 

The heir shook his head, giving a genial smile, “Actually a water sounds good. That’s not what I wanted to ask, though. Actually… I know this is going to sound very silly, but-”

 

“Whatever it is I’m sure it is not silliest thing I’ve heard today.” Sungwoon said with a smile.

 

“Okay, good, because… Well… Have you seen anyone with, um,” Daniel laughed awkwardly. Just saying it out loud made him feel embarrassed, but his desperation trumped any shame he had. “Have you seen a young man with a constellation on his face? Like- Like a birthmark. It would be right here,” He gestured to his cheek, “And it’s- it’s like, really tiny. I know that sounds a bit odd, but-”

 

“No, no, not at all!” Sungwoon reassured him. “You’re still searching for the man from the tweet?” Daniel blushed, it sounded humiliating when someone else said it. The barista seemed to think otherwise, “That is so sweet. Whoever he is, I’m shocked he hasn’t contacted you.”

 

“Ding! Ding!” The oven’s timer went off, interrupting their little chat.

 

“Well, here’s your latte,” Sungwoon slid Daniel’s latte across the counter on a saucer toward him, “And Ong will bring you out your croissant.  _ Won’t you _ ?” He said pointedly in the direction of his cowering coworker.

 

“Ong?” Daniel said, completely ignoring the second part of the statement.

 

“Well, his name is Ong Seongwoo, but we just call him Ong.”

 

“Ong? Just… Ong.”

 

“Yeah, weird, I know.” Sungwoon shrugged. Daniel muttered the unique name all the way back at his seat. 

 

Sungwoon looked at Seongwoo, who reluctantly held the heir’s croissant in his hand. The older one jerked his head in the direction of the heir, silently insisting he go already. Seongwoo bit his lip nervously, his throat tightening with anxiety. Glancing around, he found a quick solution. A jar on the counter near the oven had all purpose flour. He quickly opened it, smearing some on his nose and most importantly, over his birthmark on his cheek. At this point his coworker seemed to give up on understanding Ong, an expression of resignation on his face as he gestured him to deliver the pastry and glass of water.

 

Seongwoo kept his head cast downwards, shuffling over to Daniel’s small table. He did everything in his power not to look directly at the heir who sat scrolling through his phone. He set the plate down delicately in hopes that it wouldn’t rouse his attention.

 

Daniel regarded him with a quick, “Thank you”, not even giving him a look. An unsettling mix of relief and sadness stewed in Ong’s chest. He quickly snuffed it down, setting down the cup of water so he could take his leave.

 

_ Craaash!! Clink! _

 

_ Clunk! _

 

The sound of glass shattering pierced Daniel’s ears, waking him up from his daze. He immediately jumped up to see what had happened. 

 

“Oh my god, are you okay?!” Daniel asked, worried.

 

“Ong! Let me get stuff to clean that up!” Sungwoon said from behind the counter.

 

_ Good one, Ong, _ Seongwoo thought.  _ You are truly a genius. _ He inhaled sharply through his teeth, and the pain of splintered glass cutting his skin combined with a nasty fall began setting in. Warm, red liquid dribbled down his hands while the cool water dripped down his face. After a minute, he sat upright and began to laugh.

 

Daniel sunk down to his knees, eyebrow quirking as he watched this complete stranger, wet and bloody, just laugh. “Are you okay?” He asked again, softly.

 

His concerned tone made Ong’s heart do flips. When the injured barista reigned in his laughter, he responded, “Sorry, I- That’s weird. I just- Sometimes something so… Stupid happens you just have to laugh, right? Also, I’m really sorry about your water. We will get you another one right away.” For the first time in weeks, he looked up to face Daniel with a lopsided grin. The heir couldn’t help but smile at the stranger’s resilience.

 

“I don’t care about my water, I’m just glad you’re okay… Ong it was?” Daniel asked.

 

Ong knew looking him in the eye was a mistake. With that tiny allowance, his heart took lightyears, throbbing with agonizing want for the completely unattainable man in front of him. “Yeah, it’s Ong,” Was the only thing he could muster. Seeing Daniel so worried for him almost made him forget his pain.

 

“Oh- Here, let me get that for you. I think you hit your head, so you should rest,” Daniel said, grabbing a napkin off the table. 

 

“Wh- No, I’ll be fi-uhhh…” Seongwoo’s protest pathetically trailed off the second he felt those hands cup his face once more. The picture of concern, the heir held his face, gingerly wiping away drops of water, blood, and whatever else was on his face. Ong gasped at a stinging sensation as the napkin came across an apparent cut.

 

“Sorry, sorry,” Daniel muttered. “Don’t worry I’m almost done, there’s  just one spot of flour, here…” He tilted Ong’s face, running the napkin over the last spot of flour on his cheek. Almost completely lost in the sensation of being nurtured, Seongwoo jolted up.  _ He can’t see my birthmark _ , he thought, panicked. The sudden movement startled Daniel who jumped back as well.

 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, did I hurt you?!” Daniel frowned. Before Ong could save face, Daniel grabbed his chin again, squinting to search for any cuts. 

 

Seongwoo sputtered,“Wait, I-”

 

Daniel’s grip stopped being gentle. He furrowed his brow, grabbing Seongwoo’s face in both his hands and bringing it closer. When Ong heard the heir’s gasp, he felt dread envelop him. Tears began stinging his eyes, and he blinked furiously to keep them from falling. He couldn’t meet Daniel’s gaze anymore.

 

“You…” Daniel murmured. He seemed to inspect Seongwoo’s face more closely, fingers tracing his jawline, running up his cheekbones. Seongwoo didn’t know how to feel anymore. He felt physical pain and emotional pain, but above all else, intense desire. He felt ashamed at how much he enjoyed being prodded and inspected just because it meant feeling the sparks left by his touch. He resigned himself to the fact that this would probably be the real last time he ever felt Kang Daniel’s touch, and conceded to his desires. 

 

“Why did you run from me?” Was the first thing Daniel said after what felt like an eternity of silence. His voice sounded strangely heavy.

 

Ong had no idea what he expected to hear, but it wasn't that. It seemed unlikely that Daniel would even believe his story, so he gave a very abridged version, “I had to go, I couldn’t risk anyone knowing I was there. I didn’t want to leave.”

 

Daniel frowned,“Then why didn’t you contact me? I mean- It’s- It’s fine if you aren’t interested. I guess I just, assumed…” He gave an incredibly fake laugh, probably trying to save his own pride.

 

Seongwoo mustered the strength to look Daniel in the eyes again, “I want you, Kang Daniel.” He admitted. The frank admission made him feel lighter. In truth, those aren't words he even felt comfortable telling himself. “Of course I’m interested, I’d be crazy not to. You’re kind and funny and handsome, but…”  _ I’m too cowardly,  _ A voice nagged at the back of his head. Ong gestured to himself, “Look at me.” He looked down at himself, wet, covered in flour, ground coffee, water, and blood. His hair was a mess and he knew his eyes were getting red and puffy from all the tears threatening to trickle down his face.

 

“Look at me,” Seongwoo said again, “I’m… I’m me. I’m just a barista and and another dance student trying to make it in this town. I live in a closet of an apartment and steal my neighbor’s wifi. I’m not right for you, Daniel. You deserve better than me. Go find someone as beautiful and accomplished as you.”

 

Daniel pursed his lips, crossing his arms. ‘’Go find someone as beautiful and accomplished as you’?” He shuffled a bit closer to Ong, quirking an eyebrow, “You know people have been telling me what to do all my life, and I’ve done it. I try to be a model son and a great employee, someone who can take over the family business, and I am! But, you? You telling me to find someone else? After telling me how you feel?” He smirked at the dirty, teary eyed, absolutely irresistible mess in front of him. Leaning in, he whispered, “ _ Fuck that _ .”

 

A wide grin blossomed across Seongwoo’s face. He couldn’t hold back his tears any longer, letting them fall freely as he and Daniel clashed in a messy tangle of arms, noses, and lips. They poured every ounce of pent up emotion into the kiss. Ong thought that had it not been for the strong arms around him he would have surely floated into the stratosphere. For those moments, shame and public decency were thrown out the window. They held nothing back, letting out mewls, brushing their tongues against one another, exploring each other with their hands...

 

“Hey I’m back!” Sungwoon hollered from behind the counter, “Sorry it took so long to find cleaning supplies! I accidentally broke our mop so I had to go to the neighbor store to borrow the- aaaand you’re making out.” 

 

The eldest employee crossed his arms, tapping his toe. “Hello?” He said with no response. He turned to the girl on the laptop in the corner. “Hello?” He said to her. With her earbuds in, it appeared as if her eyes hadn’t left her laptop screen for a single second throughout the entire afternoon.

 

“Really?!” Sungwoon groaned, “You’re lucky he’s famous or I’d totally tell the boss!” He shouted, stomping into the back room so he didn’t have to watch their makeout session.

 

* * *

 

“Oh my god, I’m so nervous,” Minhyun said, biting his lip. He eyed the outfit laid out on his bed for the twentieth time.

 

“Me, too.” Jaehwan joined him in evaluating the look. “I think red’s a good color, but what about the blue? That might match better, you know?”

 

Minhyun tilted his head to the side, evaluating the coordinate like a piece of art, “The red is bold, though. It speaks to passion. Then again everybody likes blue- I don’t know.”

 

“I don’t think we can do this.” Jaehwan said.

 

“We can’t do this.”

 

“You realize that  _ I’m _ the one going on the date, right?” Seongwoo hollered from Minhyun’s bathroom.

 

“The three of us have been together for so long, it feel like it’s all of us going!” Jaehwan yelled back as Minhyun laughed.

 

“Gosh, it really does feel like he’s breaking up with us, doesn’t it Jaehwan,” Minhyun said.

 

“I really thought the three of us would move to South Dakota together and do one of those sister wives marriages, you know?”

 

“I thought that was in Utah.”

 

“Utah? Sounds fake. Fake state.” Jaehwan shook his head.

 

“Where are my clothes?!” Seongwoo yelled.

 

“We were just pressing them, your highness!” Jaehwan called out. Ong didn’t hesitate to walk out in his towel, snatching his outfit off of Minhyun’s bed. He put on his clothes as his two dear friends fussed over the rest of his appearance. Jaehwan blow dried his hair for him while Minhyun applied a touch of makeup. The two did everything they could in their power to bring out Seongwoo’s beauty before he inevitably told them to stop touching him. The couple followed him out to the living room to see him off.

 

“How do I look?” He asked after the fact, sticking his arms out in a dramatic flourish.

 

Minhyun pulled Jaehwan close, wiping a dramatized tear, “Our Ongie’s all grown up, honey!”

 

Jaehwan nodded, joining the make believe, “I can’t believe it. Our baby’s gonna be the prom queen!” He started fake weeping loudly. Ong rolled his eyes.

 

“Quick, honey, let me take a picture!” Minhyun said dotingly, whipping out his phone. He got a quick snap of a blurred Seongwoo sticking his hand out in protest. 

 

“Are you good?” Ong asked, a beaming smile on his face.

 

“Remember honey, be home before midnight!” Jaehwan replied.

 

Minhyun kept going,“And it’s okay to say no, honey! We won’t judge you! Just because the cool kids are all doing it doesn’t mean-”

 

“I’m leaving.  _ Bye _ .” Seongwoo said, looking at the text on his phone from Daniel. The fact that he could even think the words “I got a text from Daniel” made him almost shamefully giddy. Almost. “You guys joke about me, but it’s you two I’m really worried about.” Ong joked, “What are  _ you  _ gonna do without me?”

 

“Have sex, probably.” Jaehwan said flatly. Minhyun would’ve  drop kicked him if he had the athleticism, but he opted to smack his boyfriend on the head instead.

 

“ _ Ew _ ! Okay, I am definitely leaving now. Goodnight!” Ong said in a singsong voice as he walked out the door. 

 

“Goodbye!” The couple said, waving until the door shut behind him. 

 

Jaehwan sighed, pulling his lover close once more, “Our little chick, leaving the nest. Do you think we’ll start to miss him too much?” Minhyun shrugged in response.

 

He planted soft kisses along Jaehwan’s jawline. Nuzzling him, he spoke softly, “I’m more interested in that other thing you mentioned a minute ago.”

 

A mischievous smile spread over Jaehwan’s lips, “Minhyun, control yourself…” He said sarcastically, “Before we do that… You can see the street from your window, can’t you?”

 

Quirking an eyebrow, Minhyun looked at the window behind him. Though initially confused, he quickly caught on, dragging Jaehwan to the window so they could snoop on their friend one last time before retreating to the bedroom for the night.

 

* * *

 

Seongwoo nearly jumped down two flights of stairs because he couldn’t handle the prospect of waiting for the elevator. Butterflies fluttered restlessly in his stomach as he walked out onto the street. There he stood, real and in the flesh, not a hallucination, not a dream or a fantasy… Kang Daniel.

 

Ong flashed him a smile brighter than the sun. “Hi.” He said, slowly approaching his date.

 

“Hey. You look beautiful.” Daniel said, taking Seongwoo by the hand. The two didn’t look unlike overexcited kids going to the prom together. The heir opened the door for his date, entering after him. They cozied up to one another gleefully, their noses already brushing against one another.

 

“Driver, roll up the partition, please.” Daniel asked politely. The heir took his phone out for a second, picking a song on his music app to play through the bluetooth. He leaned in, eager to kiss Seongwoo as much as humanly possible in the next twenty minutes. 

 

Surprisingly, the dancer drew his head back for just a moment. He quirked an eyebrow.

 

“Is something the matter,” Daniel asked, suddenly anxious he did something wrong.

 

“No, no, just… The song you chose.” Ong muttered. He blinked, then looked Daniel straight in the eye saying, “Aren’t you a bit old to be an ARMY? You know, I came across another older guy who-”

 

“I’m surprised you know what an ARMY is since your taste is stuck in 2011.” Daniel replied, a satisfied smirk on his face. Ong’s face slowly transformed into a bemused expression of realization.

 

“ _ You _ .”

 

“No, you! I thought I recognized you, but it wasn’t until the cafe that I placed it!”

 

“Were you planning on telling me?!”

 

“To be honest, I wanted to see if you’d figure it out.”

 

“Well there aren’t lots of grown men out there who brandish the ARMY label so liberally.”

 

“I do not brandish it. They’re good.”

 

“Look, I’m not an anti, but we are not making out to BTS.”

 

“We’ll make out to whatever I say we make out to, I have the aux cord.”

 

“Not for long, you don’t-!”

 

Upon hearing the bickering, the driver looked in the rearview mirror and shook his head. They were too busy wrestling over the auxiliary cord to notice the partition rolling going up.

 

* * *

 

...And so the Dancer and the Prince rode off in their horse drawn carriage.

 

He had gotten to live his dream of dancing in front of the King’s court - even dancing with the prince himself, and the wicked witch never bothered the Dancer ever again.

 

Once again with the power of perseverance, good friends, and just a pinch of magic, the Dancer prevailed in reaching the end of another chapter his life. With his Prince by his side, he turned a new page, eager live out this new part of his story. 

 

Whether or not they live happily ever after…

 

Well, that is a story yet to be written.

 

**The End**

**Author's Note:**

> //insp: Cinderella, A Cinderella Story starring Hillary Duff, cheesy disney-esque movies in general, Ongniel
> 
> // this piece is a work of fiction, i do not own nor am i affiliated with any brands or figures mentioned in the piece
> 
> // massive thank you to Luxanna for beta-ing!!


End file.
